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The biggest difference between a mid-level engineer and a senior engineer is the scale and scope of the work they're responsible for. How do you dive into complex tasks, report progress to project leadership, and stay focused with so many unknowns? These are the questions I've continued to ask myself as I grow in my career. In this session, we'll explore the tools myself and other senior-level individual contributors use to shape our work from project inception to delivery.
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In the video titled "Leveling Up from Planning to Production," Thomas Countz, a senior engineer at Zendesk, shares insights on the transition from executing tasks as a mid-level engineer to tackling larger responsibilities as a senior engineer. He explores practical techniques that individual contributors can use to navigate complex projects effectively. ### Key Points Discussed: - **Ask First, Solve Later:** Before diving into solutions, Countz emphasizes the importance of formulating questions related to the task at hand. By doing this, engineers can have a structured roadmap to follow, reducing the feeling of being overwhelmed. - **Share Your Findings as You Discover Them:** Instead of waiting until the end of an investigation, Countz advocates for sharing discoveries in real-time. This not only facilitates feedback but helps team members learn together, reducing the chances of duplicating efforts. - **Make Code Executable for Better Feedback:** During coding, making work executable allows for quicker feedback loops rather than relying solely on code snippets or descriptions. Countz encourages the use of methods like unit tests and standalone scripts to communicate ideas more effectively. - **Prepare for Post Deployment:** After code deployment, it’s crucial to validate the deployment to ensure it functions correctly and meets project requirements. Countz stresses documenting findings and metrics during this process to aid in the evaluation of the deployed code's performance. ### Significant Examples: - Countz shares his personal experience of feeling overwhelmed in new projects and how the questions he asks help him clarify tasks. He illustrates the idea of organizing questions to navigate complex tasks with examples from his work at Zendesk. ### Conclusions and Takeaways: - **Curiosity and Collaboration:** Countz concludes that curiosity and the ability to collaborate are critical attributes for software engineers. He believes that embracing these traits can help overcome challenges and contribute to team success. - **Documentation and Reflection:** Keeping track of questions, sharing discoveries, performing executable tests, and documenting the deployment process are essential practices that promote clarity and efficiency in work. Overall, Countz’s talk encourages engineers, especially those transitioning into more senior roles, to embrace their curiosity, actively share knowledge, and develop structured practices for managing projects effectively.
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