FWIW I found this book to be a better survey of ways an experienced dev can take their career: https://staffeng.com/book https://staffeng.com/book This article

FWIW I found this book to be a better survey of ways an experienced dev can take their career: https://staffeng.com/book https://staffeng.com/book This article seems a little flippant. I’ve found very few “specialists”, personally, or legacy coders. Most of the time experienced devs tend to become leads or architects. Sometimes leads do management, sometimes not. I’ve been an engineer for over 20 years now, and I’m definitely seeing more places defining very senior IC positions now than when I started. But I don’t know it will ever be super consistent. Everything, such as where I work or my career trajectory, is quite fluid. I’ve realized and accepted as a more experienced dev, I am the one that has to lead the transition to, say, driving new product or technical directions instead of management. And I need to be at a place where I can make that happen. So far, that’s never been a static, predictable situation; but largely because of how the business itself is. In the last 10 years, a major company event, such as an acquisition, or a major leadership change like the CEO quitting, completely shifted the dynamics of the org. Usually negatively. So, I read the tea leaves, see if I have any ability to drive good directions. When the answer has been no, I move on to the next one. Basically I’m seeing a lot of people expecting structure where there won’t be. Nobody will pave a clear career trajectory for you after about a decade. So I find it’s more important to ask “how can I negotiate what I want here” instead of “what title will I have”.