Engineering Your Promotion for Elixir-ists: A Practical Guide to Career Advancement

ElixirConf US 2024 - Christian Koch and Sundi Myint

Many engineers start their careers and Elixir journeys by writing a lot of code. “Getting in the reps” and learning by doing are the critical steps at the start of your career, but what’s next? As engineers grow towards becoming more senior engineers, they often find themselves doing work they did not imagine themselves doing, nor do they feel equipped to do them. They find themselves struggling with continuing to grow as an engineer, and have a hard time getting past this technical plateau.

Becoming a valued senior engineer is about much more than technical skills. How can you be more intentional about the work you do and the skills you learn? What are some tried and true action items you can work on to level up in your career?

In this talk we will learn…

How to break down projects and delegate work to other engineers.
The difference between mentoring and coaching.
When to add their opinion to the fold, and when to let their team weigh in.
How to read PR reviews and leave effective comments.
How to learn what is really valued at your organization.