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At my company, I am the tech lead. (For me), the company isn't big enough to justify a full time Software Architect. Also, generally Software Architects don't
by cpayne 12y ago
At my company, I am the tech lead.
(For me), the company isn't big enough to justify a full time Software Architect. Also, generally Software Architects don't spend a lot of time (if any) coding.
I prefer the title Tech Lead over Senior Developer, because a Senior Developer could be someone doing the same job for several years (ie a mid level developer who has been there for a long time). A Tech Lead is responsible if something goes wrong.
A Tech Lead also has a mentoring component. Senior Developers don't necessarily have the communication skills to do this.
- blooberr 12y agoAre you the only tech lead at your company? That's a good definition to distinguish between senior developers. How do you mentor your engineers?
- cpayne 12y agoYes, I'm the only Tech Lead. We are a tiny company (less than 10 staff) But even in bigger companies I've worked for, mentoring is probably the biggest difference. I've worked with a LOT of Senior Developers where English is a 2nd language. For all sorts of reasons they struggle with education / training / selling (selling an idea to the business - why we should / shouldn't use TDD etc). Mentoring is easy - so long as you align yourself with what the person wants. Do they want to understand design patterns? Some sort of funky UI stuff? Mobile dev? You also have to ensure they perceive you as an equal. (Not I'm better than you). That can be tricky and often patience is the best strategy. Make sense? Hit me up offline if you need more detail...