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Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track Kindle Edition

by Will Larson (Author), Tanya Reilly (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition

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At most technology companies, you'll reach Senior software engineer, the career level for software engineers, in five to eight years. At the career level, your company's career ladder won't require that you work towards the next promotion; being promoted further is an exception rather than expected. This is also when many engineers are first given an opportunity to move into engineering management. Over the past few years, we've seen a flurry of books unlocking the engineering management career path, like Camille Fournier's The Manager's Path, Julie Zhuo's The Making of a Manager, Lara Hogan's Resilient Management, and even my own An Elegant Puzzle. The engineering management career isn't an easy one, but there are maps available to help navigate it. What if you want to advance your career without becoming an engineering manager? The technical leadership path remains relatively undocumented, hard to navigate, and inconsistent across companies. Staff Engineer is your guide to building your career towards a Staff engineering role, receiving the title, and succeeding within the role.

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370 pages
Language

English
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Publication date

February 5, 2021
File size

6461 KB
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Editorial Reviews

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"Becoming a Staff engineer is both a promotion and a job change; many immensely talented engineers pursue the first and arrive unprepared for the latter. Will Larson's Staff Engineer is a wide ranging and thought provoking overview of the many dimensions of the role. As a software engineer at any level, this book will challenge you to become better and should be required reading if you're pursuing a Staff engineer role." - Amy Unger, Staff Engineer @ Github

"It is not easy to find many resources on the staff engineer role which is still massively misunderstood due to wildly varying definitions and assumptions. This book lays out some of the differing role definitions and then brings them to life with real case studies making it easy to map the archetypes to your own circumstances, passions and ambitions. This should be a go to resource for anyone thinking of pursuing the IC path or that has already moved into a senior IC role." - Nicky Wrightson, Principal Engineer @ Skyscanner and formerly Principal Engineer @ The Financial Times

"In Staff Engineer, Will Larson does more than demystify the staff engineer role: he explains the whys and hows of long-term technical strategy, the power of sponsorship, and the responsibility that comes with having influence. Throughout the book, he references inclusive studies, addresses realistic scenarios, and offers practical advice. Staff Engineer leaves me feeling more equipped for success as an engineering leader, but more than that, it leaves me feeling affirmed -- it's the first engineering leadership book I've read with over half its quotations from women." - Padmini Pyapali, formerly Engineering Manager @ Uber, Sonder

"Will Larson's An Elegant Puzzle has earned its spot on my recommended reading list and is the manual I wish I had during my early years as an engineering manager. "Staff Engineer" is poised to join it and is the manual I need NOW to support my engineers in their continued growth. From the various staff engineer profiles to the analysis of staff engineer archetypes and the focus on working on things that matter Staff Engineer is a must-read for engineers and engineering leaders alike." - Kevin Stewart, VP Engineering @ Harvest

"Staff Engineer explores a completely new space that is under-resourced for both senior or staff engineers as well as the managers that support them. I have already pointed people to many sections in the book as I support staff engineers and those aspiring to grow into the role. I expect 'Staff Engineer' to be a frequently referenced guide for me and many other engineering leaders and the perfect companion to An Elegant Puzzle." - Uma Chingunde, VP Engineering @ Render

"While more companies are introducing senior-plus levels that usually run parallel to the management track, breaking into your first staff/principal role can feel like going against the glass ceiling. How do you get there? Once you've made it, how do you perform at that level? Staff Engineer is the missing resource that helps you understand the landscape, how others have gotten to this level, and how they keep thriving here." - Gergely Orosz, author of The Tech Resume Inside Out and The Software Engineer's Guidebook

"Staff Engineer not only answered the many questions I had about becoming and operating at a staff-plus position, it also made me re-evaluate what I thought I knew. I'm a data scientist, not an engineer, but the comprehensive guidance in this book - from laying out the technical and leadership skills needed to operate at a staff-level to the practicalities of how organizations actually work - has already changed how I'm thinking about advancing my career. If you're looking to grow as an individual contributor in any kind of technical field, this book will be a critical resource for you." - Emily Robinson, author of Build a Career in Data Science

About the Author

Will Larson has been an engineering leader and software engineer at technology companies of many shapes and sizes including Calm, Stripe, Uber, and Digg. He grew up in North Carolina, studied Computer Science at Centre College in Kentucky, spent a year in Japan on the JET Program teaching English, and has been living in San Francisco since 2009. He is the author of An Elegant Puzzle and Staff Engineer.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08RMSHYGG
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Will Larson (February 5, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 5, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 6461 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 370 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #52,683 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #9 in Software Development (Kindle Store)
- #15 in Career Guides
- #29 in Computers & Technology (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
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Will Larson has been an engineering leader and software engineer at technology companies of many shapes and sizes including Calm, Stripe, and Uber. He grew up in North Carolina, studied Computer Science at Centre College in Kentucky, spent a year in Japan on the JET Program teaching English, and has been living in San Francisco since 2009. He writes frequently on his blog, Irrational Exuberance, at lethain.com.

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Luis Espinal

Perfect for me

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2022

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As someone who has been working as a Staff Engineer for several years, this book answered several important questions I had about my role and expectations. Moreover, it clarified things that I've observed (about operating at Staff level), that I didn't understand until now.

I wish I have read this book sooner, earlier in my career. FYI, I have both the print and Audible versions.

This is not a book about engineering management, and it is not about coding or project management. If that's the mindset you are coming from, this book will disappoint.

If you are interested in knowing what comes after a Senior engineering level (whether you are a senior or junior developer), and how to operate at that level and beyond, this is the book for you.

There's a certain "filtering" that comes with this topic since engineering positions that come after Senior-levels only occur in mature companies that 1) are sufficiently large, 2) are product or service oriented (not limited to web/IT support to other businesses) and 3) are likely to have substantial IP and patents.

I would still recommend this book even for engineers working at firms to do match these criteria, since it covers significant material on how to operate efficiently as a team lead.

15 people found this helpful

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Sebastian Machuca Arias

Great exposure to what staff engineering is

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2021

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As an staff engineer myself, having an external perspective of what does the role entitles in other organizations has been tremendously valuable. Some of the guides or initial chapters are very practical but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the experiences of some of my colleagues in other companies.

Highly recommended to anyone looking beginning a staff engineer or to someone that wants to check areas of personal growth

2 people found this helpful

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Daniel Fernandeza Arias

great read!

Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2023

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This is a great read for folks coming in to the staff eng role, it gives a pretty accurate view of how a staff eng fits in the organization.

One person found this helpful

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Rama

A good reference for staff engineer

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2023

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This book is filled up stories of real life staff engineers from multiple companies. The wisdom shared by these engineers is invaluable. I recommend this book for anybody aspiring to be a staff engineer or is a staff engineer.

One person found this helpful

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Ibrahim Lawal

Thank you!

Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2021

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I’m sure you get this from a lot of readers. Please add my thanks to the long list and know it is very heartfelt. The collection of interviews were very diverse, and truly helped me see various ways the Staff Engineer role can be viewed in various places. I wish I had read them first perhaps I’d have spent less than 3 months completing the book. It was quite hard getting through the initial chapters. Suggestion: print as 2 different books and keep the interviews rolling in! I’m definitely recommending this!!

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Donn Felker

A Summary of what a Staff Eng Might Be/Do

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2024

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This book get's a lot of praise, but I'm not seeing why its rated so high. I've spoken to many Staff+ level engineers (at various companies, FAANG companies included) who feel this same way about this book.

Having read it nearly 3 times now, I have come to the conclusion that this book is merely a collection of archetypes that define what a staff engineer might be and might do. The prescriptions to become a staff engineer, while useful, are not applicable to various staff positions and/or companies. They're merely examples of what you can do to attain the level of staff, but all specific to whatever use case might have gotten someone staff by doing such a thing.

The reality of the Staff Engineer role is this: It's a relatively new role in the industry. It's in its infancy. Every companies Staff Engineer does something differently than another company. There are many paths to becoming a staff engineer. Staff Engineer at company A is completely different at Company B. I mean vastly different.

Ultimately this book will help you understand the various roles a staff engineer can have and what they might do. In my personal experience you'll find that staff engineers often wear multiple hats across an organization and fit within many different archetypes throughout the year/month or even week and day. Some may say thats an organizational and company culture problem, and I agree, but thats where this role is - it's new, uncharted territory and applying the Staff label (and above) is merely what happens after Senior engineer, if you decide you want to stay on the technical track.

I found myself struggling to finish this book each time I read it because at times it seemed on topic, then other times it would dive into another topic completely unrelated. It felt discombobulated at times.

Lastly, the interviews/stories at the end with various Staff engineers felt like filler/fluff for the book in my opinion. They offer some insight into the Staff role, but were particular to each persons experience, which goes to show this role is in fact early in its development.

Overall this book is a good generalization on what a Staff Engineer could be, but thats about it.

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Oleg Dulin

Very useful book, but too Silicon Valley-bro lingo

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2022

I got the audio version of this book. Somewhere in the middle the author says that his other work was criticized as being too Silicon Valley-centric This one is no different. The author talks about companies like Uber, Stripe and Dropbox as if myriad of other companies don’t exist that have similar career paths for engineers.

Nevertheless, the knowledge conferred is valuable and transferable.

Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2022

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This is one of those rare books that I wished existed earlier in my career. It is now a book I recommend to both my peers and mentees as it provides great guidance and shares real world examples.

4 people found this helpful

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Pedro Mutter

Very good insights for such a obscure theme

Reviewed in Brazil on June 24, 2023

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For those who want to understand better what being a staff+ engineer means, how usually people reach there and real examples of success in this role, you should give this book a try.

One person found this helpful

H Elsayed

Amazing book and shared experiences. Very helpful for mid-level engineers and above

Reviewed in Canada on June 21, 2022

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The book is very useful and full of others experiences. It can help a lot to have good understanding of the role.
I think it aldosterone very helpful for mid-level engineers to determine their path and also work on their skills early in the career to reach staff positions

Serhii Vasylenko

Befähigend und Einsichtsreich: Ein Muss für Angehende Technische Führungskräfte

Reviewed in Germany on November 11, 2023

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Die Lektüre von 'Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track' war für mich ein Wendepunkt. Sie ist voller inspirierender Einsichten, die nicht nur motivierend, sondern auch tiefgründig informativ sind. Das Buch lässt sich außergewöhnlich leicht lesen, wodurch komplexe Konzepte einem breiten Publikum zugänglich gemacht werden. Es ist ein unschätzbarer Leitfaden für jeden, der eine Karriere in der technischen Führung anstrebt und bietet Klarheit darüber, was in solchen Rollen zu erwarten ist und wie man darin hervorragend sein kann. Dieses Buch ist ein Schatz an Weisheit für aktuelle und zukünftige technische Führungskräfte.

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Aliaksandr Kantsevoi

Content is great, quality of book itself not great

Reviewed in Sweden on July 15, 2023

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Extremely insightful information.
However the quality of book is not great, sometimes pages fall out.

Nirmal

Great insights with explanation from multiple people.

Reviewed in India on June 7, 2023

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It’s great to have a read and get to know the insights from other engineers from different companies. Good points and interesting topics covered in this book.

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