Rigid career ladder for software engineering in a startup, other departments give promotions

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I was a senior creative technologist at my previous job and I took a mid level software engineering position at a series A startup.



Software engineering, or rather programming is only part of what makes a creative technologist. My other skills and experience warranted the senior role. I was looking to get rid of "programmer" stigma and find a true software engineering role. At that moment going from senior something to mid level software engineer made sense and i took a pay cut.



I have very strong skills in a niche area, with low supply and low demand, i am the only person in the company doing this type of work. The role originally asked for 30% of this type of work and 70% of another much more common, where i felt there was room to improve and mid-level was an appropriate level.



However this ratio never worked and id was maybe more 80% of my expertise 20% other stuff.



So for about 8 months i had a lead who knew next to nothing about my area, but was an expert in the 20% of the other stuff i had to do. This was about how the work was distributed, i've put in a lot of hours, read white papers, very thick books, prototyped, coded and solved the problems. The technical direction and mentorship I only received for the 20% of my job, the other, more complicated part, that only I can do, I had to do on my own.



We didn't have a career ladder clearly defined during this period, but when it was finally made it favored the managerial path rather than the individual contributor technical path which essentially capped me.



Because only I can work on some areas of our product, along a couple of technical columns I could already claim that i operate several levels above mine. But because of this isolation, i fail on the soft skills columns, as i don't have anyone to mentor (no one is interested in touching my area) and it's not easy for me to give estimates as most of the time i have to do some r&d followed by refactoring.



Our org is specifically built to not favor unicorns, and the approach applies to most of our engineers as they all have the same skillset and work on the same set of problems. However there are some edge cases and i feel like i've been made into one.



For example, if the org did not want a unicorn, one of the leads could have pulled a break during some project and prevented us from implementing something that only i can maintain or extend. There could have been a different approach that would not lead to this situation.



So in this role, given the circumstances and how the ladder is defined, i am stuck in my mid level role with no path for moving forward. Because of my unique position, i have a great impact on the business, and i think i provide a lot of value. But because no one really knows what I do, i'm kinda just left alone, with different people asking me for specific things after they've figured out what to ask me for.



The main hurdle as i understand it is that I can't clearly communicate what i'll be working on for the next week or two and how it relates to business. When we tried an exercise where i would write a document for a "business problem" and to come up with projects from it, i was told that i wrote a 5 year vision and road map.



I've had a short lived period where my area got it's own kanban board, and my former tech lead took a project management hat, while i wore a leads. This resulted in perfectly scoped tickets, with clearly defined dependencies and most importantly tickets that could be done in parallel. I was able to explain what shouldn't be my ticket simply because it can be done by someone else while i'm working on something that no one else can do, so I even delegated work to others.



After this i got another manager and went back to "solve world hunger using code" type of tickets, and my stand ups are always "dealing with tech debt, working on some feature".



Most of this feedback has been acknowledged and i've been told that my managers failed, and that i'm a hair away from a promotion. However, it's been a while.



The feedback that i've been given is that the ladder is sacred, and if i was given special treatment others would complain.



In the meantime, the sales department hired someone a few months ago, and they already got a promotion. Which seems exactly like the thing my manager is trying to avoid, except it's not another engineer. Is this normal, could i ask for my performance or contribution to be considered in the broader business context rather than just the engineering department?



Can I argue that because i excel in one column others should have more wiggle room? For promotions we are expected to operate on the next level, but we have exceptions to this. Other people with niche marketable technical skills that we need are learning how to be managers but from the higher managerial positions, which seems exactly like what i'm looking for.






promotion startup







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    I was a senior creative technologist at my previous job and I took a mid level software engineering position at a series A startup.



    Software engineering, or rather programming is only part of what makes a creative technologist. My other skills and experience warranted the senior role. I was looking to get rid of "programmer" stigma and find a true software engineering role. At that moment going from senior something to mid level software engineer made sense and i took a pay cut.



    I have very strong skills in a niche area, with low supply and low demand, i am the only person in the company doing this type of work. The role originally asked for 30% of this type of work and 70% of another much more common, where i felt there was room to improve and mid-level was an appropriate level.



    However this ratio never worked and id was maybe more 80% of my expertise 20% other stuff.



    So for about 8 months i had a lead who knew next to nothing about my area, but was an expert in the 20% of the other stuff i had to do. This was about how the work was distributed, i've put in a lot of hours, read white papers, very thick books, prototyped, coded and solved the problems. The technical direction and mentorship I only received for the 20% of my job, the other, more complicated part, that only I can do, I had to do on my own.



    We didn't have a career ladder clearly defined during this period, but when it was finally made it favored the managerial path rather than the individual contributor technical path which essentially capped me.



    Because only I can work on some areas of our product, along a couple of technical columns I could already claim that i operate several levels above mine. But because of this isolation, i fail on the soft skills columns, as i don't have anyone to mentor (no one is interested in touching my area) and it's not easy for me to give estimates as most of the time i have to do some r&d followed by refactoring.



    Our org is specifically built to not favor unicorns, and the approach applies to most of our engineers as they all have the same skillset and work on the same set of problems. However there are some edge cases and i feel like i've been made into one.



    For example, if the org did not want a unicorn, one of the leads could have pulled a break during some project and prevented us from implementing something that only i can maintain or extend. There could have been a different approach that would not lead to this situation.



    So in this role, given the circumstances and how the ladder is defined, i am stuck in my mid level role with no path for moving forward. Because of my unique position, i have a great impact on the business, and i think i provide a lot of value. But because no one really knows what I do, i'm kinda just left alone, with different people asking me for specific things after they've figured out what to ask me for.



    The main hurdle as i understand it is that I can't clearly communicate what i'll be working on for the next week or two and how it relates to business. When we tried an exercise where i would write a document for a "business problem" and to come up with projects from it, i was told that i wrote a 5 year vision and road map.



    I've had a short lived period where my area got it's own kanban board, and my former tech lead took a project management hat, while i wore a leads. This resulted in perfectly scoped tickets, with clearly defined dependencies and most importantly tickets that could be done in parallel. I was able to explain what shouldn't be my ticket simply because it can be done by someone else while i'm working on something that no one else can do, so I even delegated work to others.



    After this i got another manager and went back to "solve world hunger using code" type of tickets, and my stand ups are always "dealing with tech debt, working on some feature".



    Most of this feedback has been acknowledged and i've been told that my managers failed, and that i'm a hair away from a promotion. However, it's been a while.



    The feedback that i've been given is that the ladder is sacred, and if i was given special treatment others would complain.



    In the meantime, the sales department hired someone a few months ago, and they already got a promotion. Which seems exactly like the thing my manager is trying to avoid, except it's not another engineer. Is this normal, could i ask for my performance or contribution to be considered in the broader business context rather than just the engineering department?



    Can I argue that because i excel in one column others should have more wiggle room? For promotions we are expected to operate on the next level, but we have exceptions to this. Other people with niche marketable technical skills that we need are learning how to be managers but from the higher managerial positions, which seems exactly like what i'm looking for.






    promotion startup







    share|improve this question







    New contributor




    pailhead is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.





















      up vote
      -2
      down vote

      favorite









      up vote
      -2
      down vote

      favorite











      I was a senior creative technologist at my previous job and I took a mid level software engineering position at a series A startup.



      Software engineering, or rather programming is only part of what makes a creative technologist. My other skills and experience warranted the senior role. I was looking to get rid of "programmer" stigma and find a true software engineering role. At that moment going from senior something to mid level software engineer made sense and i took a pay cut.



      I have very strong skills in a niche area, with low supply and low demand, i am the only person in the company doing this type of work. The role originally asked for 30% of this type of work and 70% of another much more common, where i felt there was room to improve and mid-level was an appropriate level.



      However this ratio never worked and id was maybe more 80% of my expertise 20% other stuff.



      So for about 8 months i had a lead who knew next to nothing about my area, but was an expert in the 20% of the other stuff i had to do. This was about how the work was distributed, i've put in a lot of hours, read white papers, very thick books, prototyped, coded and solved the problems. The technical direction and mentorship I only received for the 20% of my job, the other, more complicated part, that only I can do, I had to do on my own.



      We didn't have a career ladder clearly defined during this period, but when it was finally made it favored the managerial path rather than the individual contributor technical path which essentially capped me.



      Because only I can work on some areas of our product, along a couple of technical columns I could already claim that i operate several levels above mine. But because of this isolation, i fail on the soft skills columns, as i don't have anyone to mentor (no one is interested in touching my area) and it's not easy for me to give estimates as most of the time i have to do some r&d followed by refactoring.



      Our org is specifically built to not favor unicorns, and the approach applies to most of our engineers as they all have the same skillset and work on the same set of problems. However there are some edge cases and i feel like i've been made into one.



      For example, if the org did not want a unicorn, one of the leads could have pulled a break during some project and prevented us from implementing something that only i can maintain or extend. There could have been a different approach that would not lead to this situation.



      So in this role, given the circumstances and how the ladder is defined, i am stuck in my mid level role with no path for moving forward. Because of my unique position, i have a great impact on the business, and i think i provide a lot of value. But because no one really knows what I do, i'm kinda just left alone, with different people asking me for specific things after they've figured out what to ask me for.



      The main hurdle as i understand it is that I can't clearly communicate what i'll be working on for the next week or two and how it relates to business. When we tried an exercise where i would write a document for a "business problem" and to come up with projects from it, i was told that i wrote a 5 year vision and road map.



      I've had a short lived period where my area got it's own kanban board, and my former tech lead took a project management hat, while i wore a leads. This resulted in perfectly scoped tickets, with clearly defined dependencies and most importantly tickets that could be done in parallel. I was able to explain what shouldn't be my ticket simply because it can be done by someone else while i'm working on something that no one else can do, so I even delegated work to others.



      After this i got another manager and went back to "solve world hunger using code" type of tickets, and my stand ups are always "dealing with tech debt, working on some feature".



      Most of this feedback has been acknowledged and i've been told that my managers failed, and that i'm a hair away from a promotion. However, it's been a while.



      The feedback that i've been given is that the ladder is sacred, and if i was given special treatment others would complain.



      In the meantime, the sales department hired someone a few months ago, and they already got a promotion. Which seems exactly like the thing my manager is trying to avoid, except it's not another engineer. Is this normal, could i ask for my performance or contribution to be considered in the broader business context rather than just the engineering department?



      Can I argue that because i excel in one column others should have more wiggle room? For promotions we are expected to operate on the next level, but we have exceptions to this. Other people with niche marketable technical skills that we need are learning how to be managers but from the higher managerial positions, which seems exactly like what i'm looking for.






      promotion startup







      share|improve this question







      New contributor




      pailhead is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.











      I was a senior creative technologist at my previous job and I took a mid level software engineering position at a series A startup.



      Software engineering, or rather programming is only part of what makes a creative technologist. My other skills and experience warranted the senior role. I was looking to get rid of "programmer" stigma and find a true software engineering role. At that moment going from senior something to mid level software engineer made sense and i took a pay cut.



      I have very strong skills in a niche area, with low supply and low demand, i am the only person in the company doing this type of work. The role originally asked for 30% of this type of work and 70% of another much more common, where i felt there was room to improve and mid-level was an appropriate level.



      However this ratio never worked and id was maybe more 80% of my expertise 20% other stuff.



      So for about 8 months i had a lead who knew next to nothing about my area, but was an expert in the 20% of the other stuff i had to do. This was about how the work was distributed, i've put in a lot of hours, read white papers, very thick books, prototyped, coded and solved the problems. The technical direction and mentorship I only received for the 20% of my job, the other, more complicated part, that only I can do, I had to do on my own.



      We didn't have a career ladder clearly defined during this period, but when it was finally made it favored the managerial path rather than the individual contributor technical path which essentially capped me.



      Because only I can work on some areas of our product, along a couple of technical columns I could already claim that i operate several levels above mine. But because of this isolation, i fail on the soft skills columns, as i don't have anyone to mentor (no one is interested in touching my area) and it's not easy for me to give estimates as most of the time i have to do some r&d followed by refactoring.



      Our org is specifically built to not favor unicorns, and the approach applies to most of our engineers as they all have the same skillset and work on the same set of problems. However there are some edge cases and i feel like i've been made into one.



      For example, if the org did not want a unicorn, one of the leads could have pulled a break during some project and prevented us from implementing something that only i can maintain or extend. There could have been a different approach that would not lead to this situation.



      So in this role, given the circumstances and how the ladder is defined, i am stuck in my mid level role with no path for moving forward. Because of my unique position, i have a great impact on the business, and i think i provide a lot of value. But because no one really knows what I do, i'm kinda just left alone, with different people asking me for specific things after they've figured out what to ask me for.



      The main hurdle as i understand it is that I can't clearly communicate what i'll be working on for the next week or two and how it relates to business. When we tried an exercise where i would write a document for a "business problem" and to come up with projects from it, i was told that i wrote a 5 year vision and road map.



      I've had a short lived period where my area got it's own kanban board, and my former tech lead took a project management hat, while i wore a leads. This resulted in perfectly scoped tickets, with clearly defined dependencies and most importantly tickets that could be done in parallel. I was able to explain what shouldn't be my ticket simply because it can be done by someone else while i'm working on something that no one else can do, so I even delegated work to others.



      After this i got another manager and went back to "solve world hunger using code" type of tickets, and my stand ups are always "dealing with tech debt, working on some feature".



      Most of this feedback has been acknowledged and i've been told that my managers failed, and that i'm a hair away from a promotion. However, it's been a while.



      The feedback that i've been given is that the ladder is sacred, and if i was given special treatment others would complain.



      In the meantime, the sales department hired someone a few months ago, and they already got a promotion. Which seems exactly like the thing my manager is trying to avoid, except it's not another engineer. Is this normal, could i ask for my performance or contribution to be considered in the broader business context rather than just the engineering department?



      Can I argue that because i excel in one column others should have more wiggle room? For promotions we are expected to operate on the next level, but we have exceptions to this. Other people with niche marketable technical skills that we need are learning how to be managers but from the higher managerial positions, which seems exactly like what i'm looking for.






      promotion startup




      promotion startup






      share|improve this question







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      pailhead is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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