OnBeingASeniorEngineer(http://www.kitchensoap.com/2012/10/25/onbeingaseniorengineer/)25.Oct /Culture(http://www.kitchensoap.com/category/culture/),Etsy(http://www.kitchensoap.com/category/etsy/),HumanFactors(http://www.kitchensoap.com/category/humanfactors/),Random(http://www.kitchensoap.com/category/random/),WebOps(http://www.kitchensoap.com/category/webops/)/127Comments(http://www.kitchensoap.com/2012/10/25/onbeingaseniorengineer/#comments)

.

Ithinkthattheresalotofinstitutionalknowledgeinourfield,especiallyaboutwhatmakes

foraproductiveengineer.Butwhilethereareagooddealofbooksinthemanagementfield

aboutexpertrolesandresponsibilitiesofnontechnicalindividualcontributors,Idontsee

toomanymodernbooksorpoststhatmightshedlightdirectlyonwhatmakesforagood

seniorengineer.Onenotableexceptionisofcourse

,whohasbeenpostingquiteagooddealrecently

aboutthe .

Yetatthesametime,agoodlotofsuccessfulengineerswhomIhaveknownallremember

thementorwhotaughtthemwhatitmeanttobesenior.

KateMatsudaira(http://katemats.com/)

culturalsidesofengineering(http://katemats.com/leadership/)

(http://www.kitchensoap.com/)

KitchenSoap (http://www.kitchensoap.com/)

KitchenSoapThoughtsonsystemssafety,capacityplanning,andweboperations.

Ido,however,agree100%withmyfriendTheoswordsaboutbeingseniorinhischapter

ofthe

bookbyOReilly:

GenerationX(andevenmoresogenerationY)areculturesofimmediategratification.

Iveworkedwithastaggeringnumberofengineersthatexpectthecareerpathtotake

themtothehighestranksoftheengineeringgroupinside5yearsjustbecausetheyare

smart.ThisissimplyimpossibleinthestaggeringnumbersIvewitnessed.Noteveryone

canbesenior.If,afterfiveyears,youaresenior,areyouatthepeakofyourgame?After

fivemoreyearswillyounothaveaccruedmoreinvaluableexperience?Whatthen?

Superengineer?Fivemoreyears?Superduperengineer.Iblametheyouthofour

disciplineforthisaffliction.Thetruthisthatthereareveryfewengineersthathavebeen

inthefieldofweboperationsforfifteenyears.Giventhedynamicsofourindustrymany

electedtomoveontomanagerialpositionsorriskanentrepreneurialrunatthings.

Hesright:thisfieldofweboperationsisstillquiteyoung.Sowecantbesurprisedwhen

peoplewhohaveatitleofseniorexhibitunsurprisinglyimmaturebehavior,bothtechnical

andnontechnical.IfyouhaventreadTheoschapter,Isuggestyoudo.

Havingsaidthat,whatdoesitactuallymeantobeseniorinthisdiscipline?Icertainlyhave

anopinionofwhatitmeans,giventhatImchargedwithhiring,supporting,andretaining

engineerswhomaredeemedtobesenior.Thisnotionthatthereisabartobepassedin

termsofcareerdevelopmentisagoodone,butIdalsoaddthatthesecriteriaexistona

spectrum,asopposedtoasimplelistofcheckboxes.Youdontwakeuponedayandyouare

seniorjustbecauseyourtitlereflectsthatuponapromotion.Seniorengineersdontknow

everything.Theyrenotperfectintheirtechnicalknowledge,andtheyreOKwiththat.

Inordernottoconfusetitleswithexpectationsthatarefuzzy,sometimesIllreferto

engineeringmaturity.

Meaning:Iexpectaseniorengineertobeamatureengineer.

Imgoingtoglossoverthepartwhereonecouldsimplylistthetechnicalareasinwhicha

matureengineershouldhavesomelevelofmasteryorunderstanding(suchas

Networking,Filesystems,Algorithms,etc.)andinsteadhighlightthepersonal

WebOperations(http://www.amazon.com/WebOperationsKeepingDataTime/dp/1449377440)

characteristicsthatinmymindgivemeindicationthatsomeonecaninfluencean

organizationorabusinesspositivelyinthedomainofengineering.

OveronQuora,someoneonceaskedme

.ThelistofattributesthatImentionedintheanswercamewiththeunderstandingthatthey

areperpetualaspirationsofmyown.Thispostissimilartothatanswer.

Imightfirstarguethatseniorengineersinwebdevelopmentandoperationshavethesame

characteristicsasseniorengineersinotherfieldsofengineering(mechanical,electrical,

chemical,etc.)inwhichcase

areapplicable.Again,ifyouhaventreadthis,pleasegodoso.Itwasoriginallywrittenin

1944,publishedbythe .

Agoodexcerptfromthebookis

.

Whilethebooksstructureandprosestillhasadatedfeel(refrainfromusingprofanity

intheworkplaceormenshouldpayparticularattentiontoshavinghabitsandthe

trimmingofbeardsandmustaches),itgivesagoodoutlineofthenontechnical

expectations,responsibilities,andinnerworkingsofanengineeringorganizationwith

respecttohowbothmanagersandmatureengineersmightbehave.

ObligatoryPithyCharacteristicsofMatureEngineersAllpoststhatattempttogiveinsighttoaspirationalcharacteristicsmusthaveanover

abundanceofbulletpoints,andthefieldofengineeringhasafairshareofthem.Therefore,

Imgoingtogiveyousome,somemineandsomepulledfromvarioussources,manyfrom

theUnwrittenLawsmentionedabove.

Matureengineersseekoutconstructivecriticismoftheirdesigns.

Whataretheattributes(otherthantechnicalability/experience)thatmakesagreatVPofTechnicalOperations?(http://www.quora.com/JohnAllspawWhataretheattributesotherthantechnicalabilityexperiencethatmakeagreatVPofTechnicalOperations)

TheUnwrittenLawsofEngineering(http://www.amazon.com/UnwrittenLawsEngineeringRevisedUpdated/dp/0791801624)

AmericanSocietyofMechanicalEngineers(http://www.asme.org/)

here(http://www.kitchensoap.com/2012/08/07/humanfactorsandwebengineeringsintersection/)

EverysuccessfulengineerIvemet,uponfinishingupadesignorgettingreadyforaproject,

willcontinuallyasktheirpeersquestionsalongthelinesof:

WhatcouldIbemissing?

Howwillthisnotwork?

Willyoupleaseshootasmanyholesaspossibleintomythinkingonthis?

Evenifitstechnicallysound,isitunderstandableenoughfortherestofthe

organizationtooperate,troubleshoot,andextendit?

Thisisbecausetheyknowthatnothingtheymakewilleveronlybeintheirhands,andthat

goodpeerreviewiswhatmakesbetterdesigndecisions.Asitsbeensaidelsewhere,they

begforthebadnews.

Matureengineersunderstandthenontechnicalareasofhowtheyare

perceived.

BeingabletowriteaBloomFilterinErlang,orwritemultithreadedCinyoursleepis

insufficient.Noneofthatmattersifnoonewantstoworkwithyou.Matureengineersknow

thatnomatterhowcomplete,elegant,orsuperiortheirdesignsare,itwontmatterifnoone

wantstoworkalongsidethembecausetheyare

.Condescension,belittling,narcissism,andegoboostingbehaviorsendthemessageto

otherengineers(maybetacitly)tostayaway.Partofbeinghappyinengineeringcomesfrom

enjoyingthecompanyofthepeopleyouworkwithwhiledesigningandbuildingthings.An

engineerwhoisquicktocallsomeoneamoronissomeonedestinedtostunthisorher

career.

Thisalsomeansthatmatureengineershaveselfawarenesswhenitcomestotheir

communication.Thisisnttosaythateverymatureengineercommunicatesperfectly,only

thattheyhavesomenotionaboutwheretheycouldbebetter,andcontinuallyaskforagut

checkfrompeersandmanagersonhowtheyredoing.Theyaimtobeassertive,notpassive

oraggressiveinhowtheygettheirideasacross.

Ive ,

butImustemphasizethepointmore:thedegreetowhichotherpeoplewanttoworkwith

youisadirectindicationonhowsuccessfulyoullbeinyourcareerasanengineer.Bethe

engineerthateveryonewantstoworkwith.

assholes(http://www.amazon.com/TheAssholeRuleCivilizedWorkplace/dp/0446526568)

mentioneditelsewhere(http://www.agileweboperations.com/devopsthesesoftparts)

Nowthisisnttosaythatyoushouldshyawayfromgiving(orgetting)constructivecriticism

ontheworkproducedbyengineering(asopposedtotheengineerpersonally),forfearof

pissingsomeoneoff.Theresadifferencebetweencallingsomeoneamoronandpointing

outfaultsintheircodeorproduct.InaconversationwithTheo,hepointedoutanother

possibleareawhereourfieldmaygrowup:

Weasanindustryneedto(ofcourse)refrainfromcritiquesofhumancharacterand

condition,butnotshyawayfromcritiquesofworkproduct.Weneedtogettougherskin

andbeabletoreceivecritiquethroughalensthatattemptstoeliminatepersonalfocus.

Therewillbeassholes,theyshouldbeshunned.Buttheattitudethatsomeonescodeis

theirbabyshouldcometoanend.Codedoesnthavefeelings,doesntdevelopcomplexes

andcertainlydoesntexhibitthemostimportanttrait(theabilitytoreproduce)ofthat

whichcarriesforyourgeneticstrains.

Seealsobelow#2and#10inTheTenCommandmentsofEgolessProgramming.

IthinkthishasacorollaryfromtheUnwrittenLaws(emphasismine):

Becarefulaboutwhomyoumarkforcopiesofletters,memos,etc.,whentheinterestsof

otherdepartmentsareinvolved.

Alotofmischiefhasbeencausedbyyoungpeoplebroadcastingmemorandum

containingdamagingorembarrassingstatements.Ofcourseitissometimes

difficultforanovicetorecognizethedynamiteinsuchadocumentbut,ingeneral,itis

apttocausetroubleifitstepstooheavilyuponsomeonestoesorrevealsaserious

shortcomingonanybodyspart.Ifithaswidedistributionorifitconcernsmanufacturing

orcustomerdifficulties,youdbettergetthebosstoapproveitbeforeitgoesoutunless

youreverysureofyourground.

Thisofcourseunderscoresthedatedfeelofthebook,butinthemodernera,Istillbelieve

themainpointtobetrue.Nothingindicatesthatyouhavealackofperspectiveand

awarenesslikeapoorlythoughtoutandnonconstructivetweetthatslingsvenomousinsults.

Itsajuniorengineermistaketotossinsultsaboutapieceofcomplextechnologyin140

characters.

Icertainly(

)payattentiontothosesortsofpublicremarkswhenIcomeacrossthemsothatIcannote

whoIwouldreconsiderhiringiftheyeverappliedtoworkatEtsy.

Matureengineersdonotshyawayfrommakingestimates,andarealways

tryingtogetbetteratit.

FromtheUnwrittenLaws:

Promises,schedules,andestimatesarenecessaryandimportantinstrumentsinawell

orderedbusiness.Manyengineersfailtorealizethis,orhabituallytrytododgethe

irksomeresponsibilityformakingcommitments.Youmustmakepromisesbasedupon

yourownestimatesforthepartofthejobforwhichyouareresponsible,togetherwith

estimatesobtainedfromcontributingdepartmentsfortheirparts.Nooneshouldbe

allowedtoavoidtheissuebytheoldformula,Icantgiveapromise

becauseitdependsuponsomanyuncertainfactors.

Avoidingresponsibilityforestimatesisanotherwayofsaying,Imnotreadytoberelied

uponforbuildingcriticalpiecesofinfrastructure.Allbusinessesrelyonestimates,andall

engineersworkingonaprojectareinvolvedin

,which

meansthattheyhavearesponsibilitytootherstomakethemselvesinterpredictable.In

general,matureengineersarecomfortablewithworkingwithinsomenonzeroamountof

uncertaintyandrisk.

Matureengineershaveaninnatesenseofanticipation,eveniftheydontknow

theydo.

Thiscodelooksgood,Improudofmyself.Iveaskedotherpeopletoreviewit,andIve

takentheirfeedback.Now:howlongwillitlastbeforeitsrewritten?Onceitsinproduction,

howwillitsexecutionaffectresourceusage?HowmuchsoIexpect

CPU/memory/disk/networktoincreaseordecrease?Willothersbeabletounderstandthis

code?AmImakingitaseasyasIcanforotherstoextendorintrospectthiswork?

Matureengineersunderstandthatnotalloftheirprojectsarefilledwith

rockstaronstagework.

muchlikeChristopherBrownmentionedinhiskeynoteatVelocityLondon(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veumR8l07uc)

JointActivity(http://www.kitchensoap.com/2012/03/30/thedevilsinthedetails/)

Howevermenialandtrivialyourearlyassignmentsmayappear,givethemyourbest

effort.

Gettingthingsdonemeansdoingthingsyoumightnotbeinterestedin.Nomatterhowsexy

aprojectis,therearealwaysboringtasks.Tedioustasks.Tasksthatalessmatureengineer

maydeembeneaththeirdignityortheirjobtitle.MygoodfriendKellanElliotMcCrea

(EtsysCTO)hadthistosayaboutit:

Sometimesthesavinggraceofatedioustaskistheirsimplicityandmaturitymanifests

infinishingthemquicklyandmovingon.Sometimestasksaretediousbecausethey

requireextremedisciplineandmalleableattentionspan.Itsanoddphenomenathatthe

mosttedioustasks,onlytobecarriedoutbythemostseniorengineers,canalsobethe

mostterrifying.

Matureengineerslifttheskillsandexpertiseofthosearoundthem.

Theyrecognizethatatsomepoint,theirindividualcontributionandpotentialcannotbe

exercisedsingularly.Theyrecognizethatthereisonlysomuchthatcanbeproducedbya

singleperson,andtheworldsbestengineeringfeatsareexecutedbyteams,notsingularly

brilliantandloneengineers.TomLimoncellimakesthispointquitewellinhis

.

AtEtsywecallthisagenerosityofspirit.Generosityofspiritisoneofourcoreengineering

values,butalsoaprimaryresponsibilityofourStaffEngineerposition,acareerlevel

position.Theseengineersspendthetimetomakesurethatmorejuniorornewengineers

unfamiliarwiththetechorprocesseswehavenotonlyunderstandwhattheyaredoing,but

alsowhytheyaredoingit.Teachingtofishisamandatoryskillatthislevel,andthat

requireshavingbothpatienceandaperspectiveofinvestmentintherestofthe

organization.

Thereforeinsteadof:OK,moveover,lemmejustdoitforyou,itsinstead:Ok,letswork

onthistogether.IcanshowyouhowImwriting/troubleshooting/etc.Then,youdoitsoI

canbesureyouknowwhy/howweredoingitthisway,etc.

Related:seebelowaboutgettingcredit.

Matureengineersmaketheirtradeoffsexplicitwhenmakingjudgementsand

decisions.

post(http://everythingsysadmin.com/2012/09/seniorsysadmins.html)

Theyrealizeallengineeringdecisions,implementations,anddesignsexistwithina

spectrumwedonotliveinabinaryworld.Theycanquicklypointoutcontextswhereone

successfulapproachorsolutioncouldworkandwhereitcouldnot.Theyknowthatone

cannotbebothefficientandthoroughatthesametime(

),thatmostprojectsengineersworkonexistonanaxisofoptimalityandbrittleness,

andthatwhethertheproblemstheyaresolvingareacuteorchronic.

Theyknowthattheyworkwithinaspectrumofidealandnonideal,andareOKwiththat.

Theyarecomfortablewithitbecausetheystrivetomaketheidealandnonidealinadesign

explicit.Lateroninthelifecycleofadesign,whentheoriginaldesignisnotscalinganymore

orneedstobereplacedorrewritten,theycanlookbacknotwithaperspectiveofhowshort

sightedthoseearlierdecisionswere,butinsteadsayyep,wemadeitthisfarwithitand

knewwedhavetoextendorchangeitatsomepoint.Lookslikethattimeisnow,letsgetto

work!insteadofrespondingwithacrankypants,

HindsightBiasfilledremarkwithcounterfactuals(e.g..thoseidiotsdidntdoitrightthe

firsttime!,theycutcorners!,ITOLDthemthiswouldntwork!)

Manypithyquotesexistthatshinelightonthisnotionoftradeoffs,andmatureengineers

knowthattherearelimitstoanyphilosophyladenquotes(includingtheonesImwriting

here):

Prematureoptimizationistherootofallevil.averyabusedmaxim,andIvewritten

aboutitbefore(http://www.kitchensoap.com/2008/08/24/everythingisntaboutthe

knuthquote/).Acorollarytothatmightbe(takenfromhere

(http://omniti.com/seeds/dissectingtodaysinternettrafficspikes))Understanding

whatisandisntprematureiswhatseparatesseniorengineersfromjunior

engineers.

Righttoolforthejobanotherabusedone.Theintentionhereisreasonable:who

wantstouseatoolthatisntappropriate?Butarareperspectiveisthatthiscanbe

detrimentalwhentakentotheextreme.Acarpenterdoesntarmhimselfwithevery

variationandsizeofhammerthatisavailable,eventhoughthemayencounter

hammeringtasksthatcouldbeideallyhandledbyeachone.Why?Becauselugging

TheETTOPrinciple(http://www.namahn.com/resources/interview/erikhollnagelbirdsdoit)

passiveaggressive(http://talkingshrimp.com/waysbepassiveaggressiveessentialpocketguide)

around(andmaintaining)agazillionhammersincursacost.Assuch,decisionsonthis

axishavetradeoffs.

Thetldrontradeoffsisthateveryonecutscorners,ineveryproject.Immatureengineers

discovertheminhindsight,disgusted.Matureengineersspellthemoutattheonsetofa

project,acceptthemandrecognizethemaspartofgoodengineering.

(Related:

)

MatureengineersdontpracticeCYAE(CoverYourAssEngineering)

Thescenariowheresomeonewillstandonceremonyasanexcusefornotattemptingto

understandhowhisorhercode(orinfrastructure)couldbetouchedbyotherpartsofthe

systemorbusinessisalosingproposition.

sendstheimplicit

messagethatyouaresomeonewillingtothrowothers(onyourteam?inyourcompany?in

yourcommunity?)undertheproverbialbusatthemerehintthatyourworkhadanyflaw.

Matureengineersstandupandaccepttheresponsibilitygiventothem.Iftheyfindthey

donthavetherequisiteauthoritytobeheldaccountablefortheirwork,theyseekoutways

torectifythat.

AnexampleofCYAEisItsnotmyfault.Theybrokeit,theyuseditwrong.Ibuiltittospec,

Icantbeheldresponsiblefortheirmistakesorimproperspecification.

Matureengineersareempathetic.

Incomplexprojects,thereareusuallyanumberofstakeholders.Inanyproject,the

designers,productmanagers,operationsengineers,developers,andbusinessdevelopment

folksallhavegoalsandperspectives,andmatureengineersrealizethatthosegoalsand

viewsmaybedifferent.Theyunderstandthissothattheycannavigateeffectivelyinthe

workthattheydo.Beingempatheticinthissensemeanshavingtheabilitytoviewthe

projectfromanotherpersonsperspectiveandtotakethatintoconsiderationintoyourown

work.

Goalconflictsareinherentinallengineeringwork,andcomplainingaboutthem(insteadof

embracingthemasrequirementsforsuccess)isasignofalessmatureengineer.

YourCodeMayBeElegant,ButMineFuckingWorks(http://omniti.com/seeds/yourcodemaybeelegant)

Coveringyourass(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_your_ass)

Theydontmakeemptycomplaints.

Instead,theyexpressjudgementsbasedonempiricalevidenceandbringwiththose

judgementsoptionsforsolvingtheproblemwhichtheyveidentified.Agreatmanagerof

minesaidtonevergotoyourbosswithacomplaintaboutanythingwithoutatleastone

(ideallymorethanone)suggestionforasolution.Evendemonstratingthatyouvetried

workingtheproblemonyourownandcameupemptyhandedisbetterthananempty

complaint.

Matureengineersareawareofcognitivebiases

Thisisnttosaythateverymatureengineerneedstohaveadegreeinpsychology,but

cognitivebiasesarewhatcanlimitthegrowthofanengineerscareeratacertainpoint.

Eveniftheyrenotawareofthedetailsofhowtheyappearorhowthesebiasescanbe

guardedagainst,mostmatureengineersIknowhavealevelofselfawarenesstoatleast

recognizethey(likeeveryone)aresusceptibletothem.

Culturally,engineersworkdaytodayinempiricalevidenceinresearch.Basically:showme

thedata.Theissuewithcognitivebiasesisthatwecanbeblissfullyunawareofwhenweare

interpretingdatawithourownbrainsinwaysthatdefyempiricaldata,andcanhavea

surprisingeffectonhowwegetworkdoneandworkonteams.

Agreatlistofthemexistson

,butsomeoftheones

thatIveseenengineers(includingmyself)fallpreytoare:

SelfServingBias(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selfserving_bias)basically:if

somethingisgood,itsprobablybecauseofsomethingIdidorthoughtof.Ifitsbad,its

probablythedoingofsomeoneelse.

FundamentalAttributionError

(http://www.kitchensoap.com/2012/09/10/fundamentalstressstraincurvesinweb

engineering/)basically:thebadresultsthatsomeoneelsegotfromhisworkmusthave

somethingtodowithhowheis,personally(stupid,clumsy,sloppy,etc.)whereasifIget

badresults,itsbecauseofthecontextthatIwasin,thepressureIwasunder,the

situationIwasin,etc.

HindsightBias(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindsight_bias)(itissaidthatthisis

themoststudiedphenomenoninthehistoryofmodernpsychology)basically:afteran

Wikipedia(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases)

untowardornegativeevent(aseverebug,anoutage,etc.)Iknewitallalong!.Itisthe

verystrongtendencytoviewthepastmoresimplythanitwasinreality.Youcantell

thereisHindsightBiasgoingonwhendescriptionsinvolvecounterfactuals,orthey

shouldhave,orhowdidtheynotseethat,itssoobvious!.

OutcomeBias(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outcome_bias)likeabove,thiscomesup

afterasurprisingornegativeevent.Iftheeventwasverydamaging,expensivetoclean

up,orsevere,thenthedecisionsoractionsthatcontributedtothateventarejudgedto

beverystupid,reckless,ornegligent.Thejudgementisproportionaltohowseverethe

eventwas.

PlanningFallacy(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning_fallacy)(relatedtothepoint

aboutmakingestimatesunderuncertainty,above)basically:beingmoreoptimistic

aboutforecastingthetimeaparticularprojectwilltake.

Thereareplentyofothers,allofwhichIfindpersonallyfascinatingandIcangetlostin

learningmoreaboutthem.Highlysuggestedreading,ifyoureatallinterestedinlearning

abouthowyoumightbelimitingyourowneffectiveness.

TheTenCommandmentsofEgolessProgrammingAppropriate,evenifoldIveseenitreferencedascomingfrom

,writtenin1971,butIdontactuallyseeitinthetext.Regardless,hereareTheTen

CommandmentsofEgolessProgramming,foundon

sblog

onreceivingadvicefromhisdad:

1. Understandandacceptthatyouwillmakemistakes.Thepointistofindthem

early,beforetheymakeitintoproduction.Fortunately,exceptforthefewofus

developingrocketguidancesoftwareatJPL,mistakesarerarelyfatalinourindustry.We

can,andshould,learn,laugh,andmoveon.

2. Youarenotyourcode.Rememberthattheentirepointofareviewistofind

problems,andproblemswillbefound.Donttakeitpersonallywhenoneisuncovered.

(Allspawnoterelated:seebelow,number#10,andthepointsTheomadeabove.)

ThePsychologyofComputerProgramming(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0932633420)

@wyattdanger(https://twitter.com/wyattdanger)post(http://blog.stephenwyattbush.com/2012/04/07/dadandthetencommandmentsofegolessprogramming)

3. Nomatterhowmuchkarateyouknow,someoneelsewillalwaysknow

more.Suchanindividualcanteachyousomenewmovesifyouask.Seekandaccept

inputfromothers,especiallywhenyouthinkitsnotneeded.

4. Dontrewritecodewithoutconsultation.Theresafinelinebetweenfixingcode

andrewritingcode.Knowthedifference,andpursuestylisticchangeswithinthe

frameworkofacodereview,notasaloneenforcer.

5. Treatpeoplewhoknowlessthanyouwithrespect,deference,andpatience.

Nontechnicalpeoplewhodealwithdevelopersonaregularbasisalmostuniversally

holdtheopinionthatweareprimadonnasatbestandcrybabiesatworst.Dont

reinforcethisstereotypewithangerandimpatience.

6. Theonlyconstantintheworldischange.Beopentoitandacceptitwitha

smile.Lookateachchangetoyourrequirements,platform,ortoolasanewchallenge,

ratherthansomeseriousinconveniencetobefought.

7. Theonlytrueauthoritystemsfromknowledge,notfromposition.Knowledge

engendersauthority,andauthorityengendersrespectsoifyouwantrespectinan

egolessenvironment,cultivateknowledge.

8. Fightforwhatyoubelieve,butgracefullyacceptdefeat.Understandthat

sometimesyourideaswillbeoverruled.Evenifyouareright,donttakerevengeorsay

Itoldyouso.Nevermakeyourdearlydepartedideaamartyrorrallyingcry.

9. Dontbethecoderinthecorner.Dontbethepersoninthedarkofficeemerging

onlyforsoda.Thecoderinthecornerisoutofsight,outoftouch,andoutofcontrol.

Thispersonhasnovoiceinanopen,collaborativeenvironment.Getinvolvedin

conversations,andbeaparticipantinyourofficecommunity.

10. Critiquecodeinsteadofpeoplebekindtothecoder,nottothecode.As

muchaspossible,makeallofyourcommentspositiveandorientedtoimprovingthe

code.Relatecommentstolocalstandards,programspecs,increasedperformance,etc.

NovicesversusExpertsNowIgenerallydontfollowtoomuchonknowledgeacquisitionasaresearchtopic,butIdo

believeitshardtogetawayfromwhentalkingabouttheevolvingnatureofadiscipline.One

bitofinterestingbreakdowncomesfroma

calledAFiveStageModeloftheMentalActivitiesInvolvedinDirectedSkillAcquisition

whichhaslaidoutcharacteristicsofvariouslevelsofexpertise:

Novice

Rigidadherencetorulesorplans

Littlesituationalperception

No(orlimited)discretionaryjudgment

AdvancedBeginner

Guidelinesforactionbasedonattributesandaspects,whichareallequaland

separate

Limitedsituationalperception

CompetentConsciousdeliberateplanning

Standardizedandroutineprocedures

Proficient

Seessituationsholisticallyratherthanasaspects

Perceivesdeviationsfromnormalpatterns

Usesmaximsforguidance,whosemeaningsarecontextual

Expert

Nolongerreliesonrules,guidelinesormaxims

Intuitivegraspofsituations

Analyticapproachusedonlyinnovelsituations

Thepapergoesontostate:

Novicesoperatefromanexplicitrulesandknowledgebasedperspective.Theyare

deliberateandanalytical,andthereforeslowertotakeaction,theydecideorchoose.

(whichmeansthatnovicesaredeeplysubjecttolocalrationality)

Expertsoperatefromamature,holisticwelltriedunderstanding,intuitivelyand

withoutconsciousdeliberation.Thisisafunctionofexperience.Theydonotsee

problemsasonethingandsolutionsasanother,theyact.

(whichmeansthatexpertsarecontextdriven)

paperfromDreyfusandDreyfus(http://www.dtic.mil/cgibin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA084551&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf)

Idontnecessarilysubscribetothenotionofsuchdrylinesbeingdrawnbetweenskilllevels,

becauseIthinkthatthereisalotmoregranularityandfacetsofexpertisethanjustthose

outlinedabove,butIthinkitshelpfultobeawareoftheunfortunatelyoversimplified

categories.

Dirtysecret:matureengineersknowtheimportanceof(sometimesirrational)feelingspeoplehave.(gasp!)Howpeoplefeelabouttechnologies,technicaldecisions,andtechnicaldirectionsisjustas

important(ifnotmore)thanthefactsaboutthedetails.Matureengineersknowthis,and

adjustaccordingly.Again,beingempatheticcanhelpyouunderstandhowanotherperson

onyourteamfeelsaboutatechnicaldecision,eveniftheythemselvesdonthaveaneasy

timearticulatingwhytheyfeelthatway.

Peoplesconfidenceinsoftware,architectures,orpatternsisheavilyinfluencedbypast

experience,andcanresultinpositiveornegativereactionstousingthem.Usedtoworkata

mod_perlshopthathadalotofmystifyingoutages?Thenyoucantbesurprisedtofeel

reluctanttouseitinadifferentcompany,evenifthesupportingexpertiseandusecasesare

entirelydifferent.Allyourememberisthatmod_perl=majorheadaches,soyouregoingto

bewaryofusingitinanycontextagain.

Matureengineersunderstandthisphenomenonwhenmakingacasetousetechnologythat

carriesbaggage,evenifitsirrational.Convincingagrouptousetoolsandpatternsthatthey

arentcomfortablewithisntastraightforwardtask.Therighttoolforthejobmaximalso

has(sometimesunquantifiable)comfortabilityasaparameter.

Foranillustrationofhowpeoplesemotionsdrivetechnicaldecisionsandopinions,read

anyflamewaraboutanything,ever.

Itisamazingwhatyoucanaccomplishifyoudonotcarewhogetscredit.ThisquoteiscommonlyattributedtoHarryS.Truman,butitlookslikeitmighthavefirst

beensaidbyaJesuitpriestinadifferentform.Inanycase,thisisanotherindicationyoure

workingwithamatureengineer:theyholdthesuccessoftheprojectmuchhigherthanthe

potentialpraisetheymaygetpersonallyforworkingonit.Theattributionofpraiseorcredit

canbethesourceofsuchdysfunctioninanengineeringdrivenorganization,andIbelieve

itsbecauseitslargelyinvisible.

Thenotionisliberating,andonceunderstoodandinternalized,aworldofprogressand

innovativethinkingcanflourish,becausetheengineerisntoverlyconcernedwiththe

personalliabilityofequatingtheworktotheirowncareersuccess.

NotTheEnd

ImatthemomentblessedtoworkwithanumberofmatureengineershereatEtsy,andits

quitehumbling.Weareindeedayoungfield,andwhileIthinkwecanlearnagreatdeal

fromotherfieldsofengineeringonthistopic,Ialsothinkwehaveanadvantage.Thewebis

inextricablytiedtothenotionofpublishingandsharinginformation,globally.Weneedto

continuepointingoutwhatitmeanstobeaseniorandmatureengineerifwehavea

hopeofprogressingthefieldintoatruediscipline.

ManythankstomembersoftheEtsyOperationsteam,MikeBrittain,KellanElliott

McCrea,MarcHedlund,andTheoSchlossnagleforreviewingdraftsofthispost.Theyall

makemeamorematureengineer.

2,267peoplelikethis.Bethefirstofyourfriends.Like

Sharestory

1 >

(http://www.kitchensoap.com/2012/09/21/amatureroleforautomationparti/) AMatureRoleforAutomation:PartI

. (http://www.kitchensoap.com/2013/01/03/availabilitynuanceasaservice/)Availability:NuanceAsAService

.

127Comments

Pingback:Youreaseniorengineer.Nowwhat?|AssociativeDisarray(http://www.jochenlillich.de/2013/06/seniorengineer/)

(http://www.kitchensoap.com/author/admin/)Ilikemakingthingsgo!Atthemoment,I'mSVPofInfrastructureand

OperationsatEtsy,andI'mcurrentlypursuingaMaster'sdegreeinHuman

FactorsandSystemsSafetyatLundUniversity.

Ithinkthereisoneaspecttotallyignoredhere:thereisanoptimalratioforsenior/novicetobeconsidered.

Inaprojectaseniorcontributioncanbedilutedbothbynovicesandotherseniors(butnoviceonthatproject).

EduardFlorinescu2yearsago

ThanksforthecommentEduardo!

Youtouchedoncollaboration:isitdilutionofseniorcontributiontoaproject,orprovidingamatureengineerwithanopportunitytolifttheexpertiseofanoviceengineer?

allspaw2yearsago Author

@allspawThinkingmoreaboutit,botheffectivecontributionandmentoringaredesirablewithinaproject,andaseniormanagerwouldprobablyrecognizementoringatleastasvaluableaseffectivetechnicalwork.

EduardFlorinescu2yearsago

Thosearesomeawesomethoughtsindeed.Yourememberedmeofmybosswhoneverforgottotellmetheauthoritiesaseniorengineerhas.

Engineer(http://www.voiceofengineers.com/)2yearsago

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Whatyoudescribeisatthelevelofjuniorengineerorcollegestudent.Aseniorengineershouldalreadyhaveaproperintuitionandconfidencethattranscends,ifyouwill,whatyouvewritten.Youneedtoreevaluateyourstandards.Aseniorengineerdoesntfollowrules(norshouldajuniorengineer,butthekeyhereisthatthetransgressionisfarworseforasocalledseniorengineertocommit).Hereasonsandreasonsfromexperiencewhichincludesknowingthenatureofexperienceandwhatcanbeknownfromit.Heshouldhaveagreaterwisdomaboutthings,attheveryleastconcerninghisfield.Thesadtrendintheseblogsisthisruleposturingwhichistheantithesisofwisdom.Therearenoshortcutstowisdom.Rulescanneverofferthat.Infact,therulementalityispotentiallyyourworstenemyandcanimpedethenaturalprogressiontowardsreasonedexperience.Thisisequallytrueforlifeingeneral,notjustthesmallandrelativelyminorpieceofitwhichinthiscaseisyourengineeringtrade.

BobtheChefaboutayearago

Bob:Imwonderingifyoureadthepiece.Withrespecttorules,IagreewiththeviewpointofDreyfusandDreyfus,whichsaysthatexperts:Nolongerreliesonrules,guidelinesormaxims

Idonotdisagreewithanythingthatyouvewritteninyourcomment.WouldliketohearmoreonhowyoudisagreewithwhatIvewrittenhere.

allspawaboutayearago Author

Thisisagreatarticle.Asajuniorengineer(andtransplantfromtheastrophysicscommunity),Ifoundthishelpfulasasortofgeneralguideformyownpersonalgrowth.TherewereseveralofthepointswhereIgotexcitedthatIwasalreadymovinginthatdirection(withplentyofopportunitytocontinuetogrow).

Randyaboutayearago

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@Bob,@allspaw:

Letslookatadefinitionofarule:oneofasetofexplicitorunderstoodregulationsorprinciplesgoverningconductorprocedurewithinaparticularareaofactivity(https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=define+rule(https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=define+rule)assumingyouwerenottalkingaboutBritishroyalty).

Now,thatsurelycannotbethedefinitionofruleswewantourseniorengineertobefreeofsurelywewantthemtoobeythesyntaxoftheirprogrammingandnaturallanguages,nottomurdertheircolleaguesduringheatedmeetingsandflushthetoilet.

Regardless,letstrytoinferthemeaningofrulesfromitsutilitytodistinguishbetweenjuniorandseniorengineers.Ifyouareajuniorengineerandstopfollowingrules,doyoubecomemoresenior?Ifsomeoneisnotfollowingrules,isitagoodindicatoroftheirseniority?Hmmm,no,Icannotcomeupwithanyusefuldefinition.

Iswisdomtodecidewhentobreakwhatrulesthesilverbullettoaspireforifyouareajuniorengineer?Tolookforwhenyouarehiring?Whatshouldyoulook(listen,smell,)forwhenyouwanttoincreaseyourwisdom?Isitjusttime,so50yearoldengineerisalwaysmoreseniorthan30yearold?Oriswisdomapropertyofthesoulandcannotbeindicatedbyanyrationalrules,soalltrainingeffortsaswellashiringguidelinesareapriorydoomedtofail?

No.Ibelieveyour(dis)agreementisincomprehensibleandwhatisworse,impractical.Thearticleillustratesvariousaspectsofseniorityinengineeringverynicelyandnotranscendentalcommentswillmakethetraining/hiringdecisionsanyeasier.

PeterHozkaboutayearago

IstillreferencethistopeoplewhenIexplaintothemwhatitreallymeanstobecomeaSeniorDeveloper.Thereissomuchmorethancodeinvolvedwithleadingprojectsandthisarticlecoversitsonicely.Icantsayenoughabouthowimportantthehumaninteractioniswhenbeingaprojectlead.

BlaineHatab2monthsago

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Greatarticle!Mostofyouradviceseemsquiterelevantforanyseniorposition,butasImstartingmyEEdegreeinthefall,itsnicetohavesomecommentaryspecifictotheworkenvironmentIwilllikelyendupin.Thanksforthearticle!

Sarah2monthsago

sorryman,igotterriblyboredbeforeyouevenbegantoexplainyourphilosophy.youllprobablythinkidonthavethematurityandseniorityandimlookingforinstantgratificationbutifyousendmetoread5papersbeforeevenstartingthenhavelongdetoursbeforesayinganythingrelevant,youmustunderstandthatidontwannawastemytimereadingsomethingsounpromising

anon11daysago

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