For people that work in tech *only*.
An important clarification on what federal employees mean when they say "probationary period."
In tech, we're very reluctant to promote an engineer from say, level 5 to level 6, until we have enough time to know that the level 6 performance is sustainable.
An important clarification on what federal employees mean when they say "probationary period."
In tech, we're very reluctant to promote an engineer from say, level 5 to level 6, until we have enough time to know that the level 6 performance is sustainable.
Comments
"This level is much more coveted than the previous and typically 10% or less of the entire company. Expected to lead and own complex technical initiatives. Begin setting the vision / future direction of team.
...
A level 6 engineer routinely solves problems that are too complex and ambiguous for a level 5 engineer to solve.
L6 performance is consistently and repeatedly solving problems that would be unfair or unreasonable to ask an L5, while maintaining a sustainable work/life balance
Usually the progression (in my stack) is something like;
Junior Engineer
Engineer
Senior Engineer
Architect
Senior Architect
Principal/TL
Manager
The number of times I had to hear .
You are already there , just one more cycle😬
Literally feel no different when you finally get promoted because it's just paperwork. You are mentally and work wise already there for at least 1-2 years
Next up: Weingarten rights..
If you promote a high performing, long-term employee before they are ready? You could start a sequence of events which ends with that person being let go.😬
Bad for the company, bad for the employee, bad for everyone.
A different approach to the same challenge, is promoting people into a probationary status. If it turns out that you promoted someone too soon? You don't have to fire them. They can just go back!👍🏿
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle
"A new hire was just let go."
Think,
"Elon fired a 15 year employee who was TL of a critical area, doing well for 8 years, who had just agreed to manage people for the first time. They've been a manager for 10 months."
Frederick Douglass
US Marshal
*Everyone that was promoted less than a year ago
*Everyone that took on a new role or bigger scope in the past year
*Everyone that was hired in the past year
and fired them.
That's why govt folk are like.😬
A lot of times engineers quit cushy jobs and form startups,
Not to get rich quick,
Not to change the world or whatever,
But because they can't figure out how to unpromote themselves within the system.🤷🏿♂️
*Looks around* *sees that they've become a director or whatever* *panics*
"We need female managers" no, there are even fewer female senior technical, I'm needed right here.
I mean, that couldn't be me at my previous job 🙄
They would fire the majority if it was easy, regardless of their value. The point is dismantlement, consequences be damned.
I told him with my whole chest "You have my full support, I will always have your back, because I sure as hell don't want your job."
I'd be a post turtle. No amount of development & training would change the fact that I'm not cut out to manage people.