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RubyConf 2016 - “Am I Senior Yet?” Grow Your Career by Teaching Your Peers Katlyn Parvin “How do I become a senior engineer?” It’s a question every bootcamp grad will ask. Most engineers look at advancement through a lens of increasing technical skill. More than ever, though, being “senior” means more than just parsing Ruby in your sleep. As our companies grow and as our industry grows, seniority means helping new teammates and colleagues advance their own skills. It means knowing how to teach. You don’t need Matz-level knowledge to be a great teacher. With social awareness, a dash of psychology, and some proven approaches, by helping others learn, you’ll earn senior-level respect.
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In the RubyConf 2016 talk titled "Am I Senior Yet?" by Katlyn Parvin, the speaker addresses a common concern among early-career engineers regarding how to achieve senior status in engineering. Parvin emphasizes that seniority transcends mere technical skills, highlighting the importance of teaching peers and enhancing team dynamics. The core message is that becoming a senior engineer involves fostering growth within a team, illustrating this through eight key lessons learned from her experiences. Key Points Discussed: - **Understanding Seniority**: Senior engineers should focus on elevating their teams rather than solely on their individual technical prowess. This shift in perspective emphasizes collaboration and knowledge sharing. - **Teaching as a Core Skill**: The ability to teach effectively is crucial. Engineers must learn to ask guiding questions rather than simply providing answers, which encourages deeper understanding. - **Tailored Communication**: Adapting teaching styles based on the audience’s skill and motivation levels is essential. Parvin introduces the skill vs. will matrix as a strategic tool for customizing approaches to different engineers. - **Empowerment Through Teaching**: Resist the urge to take control during demonstrations; allowing peers to engage actively promotes better learning outcomes. - **Realistic Expectations**: Patience is necessary when teaching. Acknowledging incremental progress can reinforce both the teacher’s and learner’s confidence. - **Value of Communication**: Effective communication is vital across all levels of engineering. Clear communication helps bridge gaps in understanding and facilitates better teamwork. - **Utilizing Feedback**: Encouraging feedback after teaching sessions can result in improvements for both the teacher and the learner. - **Mentorship**: Serving as a mentor can not only benefit junior team members but also reinvigorate motivation in more experienced engineers. Throughout her talk, Parvin incorporates personal anecdotes, such as starting her career in pair programming, to illustrate her points. She highlights that even the most experienced engineers can feel challenged in teaching and communication roles but emphasizes that these skills are vital for personal and professional growth. The conclusion underscores that teaching and learning should be viewed as collaborative processes, exploring the idea that questions are opportunities for mutual growth. The overarching takeaway is that true learning leads to actionable change in behavior and perspectives, encouraging engineers to embrace teaching in their career advancement.
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