Career Paths for Software Engineers at Large Tech Companies

Career paths for software engineers at large tech companies

TLDR: Ethan Evans, former VP of Engineering at Amazon who oversaw 1,000+ engineers, shares proven strategies for career advancement in Big Tech. The article covers concrete tactics for promotions from mid-level (L5) to senior (L6) and principal (L7) roles, including when to transition into management and how different leadership levels operate.

Summary:

With engineers staying at companies longer—particularly at Big Tech where tenure has rapidly increased—understanding career progression paths has become essential. Ethan Evans brings unique credibility to this discussion, having managed large engineering organizations at Amazon and witnessed countless career trajectories. His perspective comes from the VP level, where promotion decisions are made and organizational standards are maintained.

The foundation of any career advancement starts with being a solid mid-level engineer. This means executing independently without daily guidance, knowing when to escalate problems, and critically—not being a chronic complainer. Leaders track "unregretted attrition" quotas, and difficult engineers who believe their talent gives them a pass are often placed in that category. The harsh reality is that with hundreds of engineers to manage, VPs won't hesitate to part ways with high-maintenance contributors, regardless of their technical prowess.

For the crucial L5 to L6 (senior) promotion, Evans outlines what creates a "slam-dunk" case. Big ideas that are actually correct matter immensely—proposing unexpected solutions that deliver value demonstrates the design thinking expected at senior levels. The antipattern here is pursuing pet projects that excite you personally but don't address team needs. Leaders want to see significant independent initiative, typically an "L6 scope project" like designing and launching a complex new service over several months. A speed tip: it's often faster to tackle an ugly but vital refactoring project than to wait for a completely novel opportunity.

What truly impresses leadership is solving problems they didn't know existed. This demonstrates judgment and initiative that organizations desperately want more of. Similarly, "seeing around corners"—identifying and preventing looming issues before they escalate—is highly valued. Becoming the "go-to" expert in specific domains, especially when other senior engineers seek your guidance, sends a powerful signal about readiness. Mentoring matters because managers lack time to guide new hires personally, and the antipattern of "don't bother me, I'm a coder" directly conflicts with senior expectations.

Operational excellence separates candidates who thrive from those who merely survive. Engineers who dive into on-call duties, find root causes, and build reliability tools stand out because many avoid this unglamorous work. Crisis management—jumping on weekend outage calls or volunteering for difficult customer situations—demonstrates business understanding and reliability when it matters most. The promotion process typically takes 1-2 years from being a solid L5, and leaders need to see multiple demonstrations of capability to distinguish skill from luck.

For architects and engineering leaders, this framework reveals how to structure growth opportunities within teams. Creating clear "L6 scope projects," ensuring operational work is valued equally with greenfield development, and maintaining consistent promotion standards across the organization become critical. The emphasis on solving unknown problems and seeing around corners should inform how you evaluate technical leadership potential—these skills directly translate to architectural thinking and strategic impact.

Key takeaways:

Independent execution and low maintenance are table stakes; chronic complainers won't advance regardless of technical ability
L5 to L6 promotion requires big ideas that are correct, significant solo projects (L6 scope), solving unknown problems, and operational excellence
Promotion typically takes 1-2 years of demonstrated capability; leaders need multiple data points to distinguish skill from luck
Relationships matter not as "sucking up" but as being helpful and pleasant; managers preferentially support those who are collaborative
Tackling ugly refactoring projects often provides faster promotion paths than waiting for novel development opportunities

Tradeoffs:

Becoming the "go-to" expert increases your promotion chances but sacrifices time for exploring new domains
Taking on operational excellence work accelerates career growth but means less time for innovative development projects
Early mentoring of others strengthens promotion cases but reduces individual coding productivity

Link: Career paths for software engineers at large tech companies