QCon Software ConferencesPerfect architecture means nothing if team dynamics don't support it. At QCon London 2026, Vanessa Formicola shares why Staff+ engineers must architect sociotechnical systems not just code.
रञ्जित (Ranjit Mathew)Pragmatic:
“How I Estimate Work As A Staff Software Engineer”, Sean Goedecke (https://www.seangoedecke.com/how-i-estimate-work/).
On HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46742389
On Lobsters: https://lobste.rs/s/dspppf/how_i_estimate_work_as_staff_software
Some hard truths here 👇🏽:
“Why Senior Engineers Let Bad Projects Fail”, Lalit Maganti (https://lalitm.com/post/why-senior-engineers-let-bad-projects-fail/).
Via Lobsters: https://lobste.rs/s/pddded/why_senior_engineers_let_bad_projects
On HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46640366
#Work #Influence #SeniorEngineer #StaffEngineer #InfluenceWithoutAuthority
Why Senior Engineers Let Bad Projects Fail
When I was a junior engineer, my manager would occasionally confide his frustrations to me in our weekly 1:1s. He would point out a project another team was working on and say, “I don’t believe that project will go anywhere, they’re solving the wrong problem.” I used to wonder, “But you are very senior, why don’t you just go and speak to them about your concerns?” It felt like a waste of his influence to not say anything. So it’s quite ironic that I found myself last week explaining to a mentee why I thought a sister team’s project would have to pivot because they’d made a poor early design choice. And he rightfully asked me the same question I had years ago: “why don’t you just tell them your opinion?” It’s been on my mind ever since because I realized I’d changed my stance on it a lot over the years.
Brian Allbee(More thoughts prompted by thinking about my recently published book: https://www.packtpub.com/en-UA/product/hands-on-software-engineering-with-python-9781835888001)
At some point in most engineering careers, something subtle shifts.
Early on, the job is mostly about writing code: implement the ticket, follow the standards, make the tests pass. That work matters. But over time, especially as systems grow more complex, the center of gravity moves.
#Python #SoftwareEngineering #StaffEngineer #CareerGrowth #TechnicalLeadership
👌🏽👇🏽:
“Why I Ignore The Spotlight As A Staff Engineer”, Lalit Maganti (https://lalitm.com/software-engineering-outside-the-spotlight/).
On HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46146451
On Lobsters: https://lobste.rs/s/xdjgbd/why_i_ignore_spotlight_as_staff_engineer
lmorchard's linksWhy I Ignore The Spotlight as a Staff Engineer - Lalit Maganti
"The tech industry loves to tell you to move fast. But there is another path. It is a path where leverage comes from depth, patience, and the quiet satisfaction of building the foundation that others stand on.
You don’t have to chase the spotlight to have a meaningful, high-impact career at a big company. Sometimes, the most ambitious thing you can do is stay put, dig in, and build something that lasts."
https://lalitm.com/software-engineering-outside-the-spotlight/
#career #staff #staffengineer #work
"The tech industry loves to tell you to move fast. But there is another path. It is a path where leverage comes from depth, patience, and the quiet satisfaction of building the foundation that others stand on.
You don’t have to chase the spotlight to have a meaningful, high-impact career at a big company. Sometimes, the most ambitious thing you can do is stay put, dig in, and build something that lasts."
https://lalitm.com/software-engineering-outside-the-spotlight/
#career #staff #staffengineer #work
N-gated Hacker News🎭 Oh dear, another Staff Engineer who just discovered the world isn't clamoring for their autograph. Apparently, Google engineers are now philosophers uncovering existential truths, yet the only spotlight they should be worrying about is the one over their desk that won't stop flickering. 🚀🔦
https://lalitm.com/software-engineering-outside-the-spotlight/ #StaffEngineer #GooglePhilosophy #ExistentialTruths #TechHumor #FlickeringSpotlight #HackerNews #ngated
https://lalitm.com/software-engineering-outside-the-spotlight/ #StaffEngineer #GooglePhilosophy #ExistentialTruths #TechHumor #FlickeringSpotlight #HackerNews #ngated
Hacker NewsI ignore the spotlight as a staff engineer
https://lalitm.com/software-engineering-outside-the-spotlight/
#HackerNews #staffengineer #spotlight #softwareengineering #careerdevelopment #professionalgrowth
Mez 
I wrote a few words on being a Staff Engineer for two years.
Marcos Lobo 💙💛Five points that will put you in the doors of promotion:
1️⃣ You delivered your commitments
2️⃣ You worked outside of your team
3️⃣ You implemented solutions to problems impacting the Engineering organization
4️⃣ You proposed and led experiments and edge initiatives
5️⃣ You appeared and showed up in cross-Engineering meetings and discussions
https://newsletter.optimistengineer.com/p/how-to-become-a-staff-engineer-5
