Leveling Up: The Reality of Leveling Up

I am excited to introduce the first article of the Leveling Up series. In this series we will be exploring questions like: What are reasonable expectations should I have about my growth? What skills should I focus on? Do I want to eventually move into management? Will I have to move into management eventually? Is there someone that help me, be my mentor??

As we go forward during this series I will do my best to include the various sources that I have leveraged. However this information has been compiled over years and as become part of my management foundation so some sources may have been lost. Ok enough preamble! Let's get started with the reality of leveling up in your career.

In today's competitive job market, it can be difficult to stand out and get ahead. One way to do this is to level up your skills and experience. However, making it to the next level is not always easy or straightforward. It takes time, effort, and dedication. Then ultimately, not every opportunity exists at every company?at every time. You may need to be flexible in the path you take.

One of the biggest challenges of leveling up is that it is not a linear process. The rate of your growth will be inconsistent and vary along the way. Leveling up is a logarithmic process. Which means you may experience explosive growth and vertical advancement early on. But it gets harder and harder to advance as you move up the ladder.

This is because there are fewer and fewer opportunities available at the higher levels. There are more and more people competing for those opportunities. So, if you want to level up, you need to be prepared to put in the hard work.

Not every opportunity exists at every company?at every time.

Here are a few things you can do to level up your skills and experience:

• Set goals.?The first step to leveling up is to set goals for yourself. What do you want to achieve in your career? Once you know what you want, you can start making a plan to get there. My favorite approach on this is to treat my career as though it were a product itself.
• Take on new challenges.?One of the best ways to learn and grow is to take on new challenges. This could mean volunteering for a new project at work, taking on a leadership role in a community organization, or starting your own business. Let's face it you have to get noticed. Taking on new challenges head on is a good way to get noticed. You don't always have to succeed but people notice when you roll up your sleeves and say "Let's do this!"
• Get involved in your field.?Get involved in your field. This could mean attending conferences, reading industry publications, or joining professional organizations. A trick here is to treat your career and your job differently. Your career is yours it is independent of any company you work for (your job). Think of yourself more as a consultant for the company you work for. There for when you engage in your field you represent yourself.
• Network with others.?Networking is a great way to learn about new opportunities and meet people who can help you advance your career. Make an effort to connect with people in your field, both online and in person. I can't overstate the importance of this one. I wish I could tell you that we have evolved into a pure meritocracy but that's just not reality. Who you know and how they perceive you matters. You don't have to be "the perfect networker" shooting finger guns and eliciting boisterous laugher from all you encounter. Be yourself, network in ways that you can have meaningful interactions. They will be awkward at first but the more you do it the better you will be at it.

While these are great points to make in general terms the context of your current situation matters.

Questions to consider

As you work towards leveling up, it is important to ask yourself some key questions:

• How much competition is there for senior level project work? How many other developers on my team are at my level and working towards the next one?
• Am I called upon to provide mentorship? Are there other engineers for me to mentor? If not, are there opportunities for me to play the mentor role to others in the community at large?
• Can I align my skills to areas that the business needs? For example, if the company I'm in has a ton of .NET developers but needs data science, can I learn the skills necessary to fill that need?

By asking yourself these questions, you can get a better understanding of your current situation and what you need to do to level up.

Be Patient with Yourself

Leveling up takes time. Don't expect to go from being a junior developer to a senior developer overnight. Remember it can take longer than you expect. Just because you aren't climbing the ladder doesn't mean you are not growing. It takes dedication, and perseverance. Be patient with yourself and celebrate your accomplishments along the way.

Talk to Your Manager

If you are serious about leveling up, it is important to talk to your manager. Let them know your goals and ask for their help in achieving them. Your manager can provide you with guidance, support, and opportunities to advance your career. Helping you grow is after all in their job description. If your manager isn't excited to help you or responds in a lukewarm way that is a different issue altogether. You may not have a great manager.

Leveling up is not easy, but it is definitely possible. If you are willing to put in the hard work, you can achieve your goals and reach new heights in your career.