How I Think About Career Growth as a Builder
When we talk about career growth in tech, the conversation often centers around titles, compensation bands, or the next big promotion cycle.
But for me, career growth has always been something deeper — a mindset, not just a milestone.
A way of compounding value, not just climbing ladders.
A lens through which I evaluate not just my job, but my evolution as a builder.
In this post, I want to break down how I personally approach growth — not from theory, but from years of lived experience in engineering, systems thinking, and personal reinvention.
1. Growth Is About Direction, Not Just Speed
Early in my career, I obsessed over “am I growing fast enough?”
I’d look at peers, LinkedIn updates, job changes — and compare timelines.
But over time, I realized that direction matters more than speed.
I stopped asking “how quickly can I get promoted?”
And started asking:
- Am I solving harder problems this quarter than I was last quarter?
- Am I learning things that stretch me outside my comfort zone?
- Is my decision-making improving?
Fast growth in the wrong direction isn’t growth — it’s motion sickness.
2. I Measure Progress by Leverage
One of the best mental models I use is:
Am I increasing my leverage over time?
Leverage = the ability to create more impact with less effort.
This could look like:
- Automating what I used to do manually
- Mentoring others so my knowledge scales
- Creating frameworks or tools that outlive me
- Writing clearly so decisions move faster without me in the room
True growth isn’t about doing more — it’s about creating systems, culture, and code that compound value.
3. Feedback Is a Compass, Not a Verdict
I used to treat feedback like a report card.
Now I treat it like GPS.
Great engineers crave feedback — not because they’re insecure, but because they’re hungry for truth.
I seek feedback from:
- Teammates (what slows us down?)
- Mentors (what am I blind to?)
- Myself (what drained me this quarter? What energized me?)
Feedback isn’t always flattering. But neither is your reflection in the mirror when you’re training for something great.
4. Promotions Follow Impact — Not the Other Way Around
One hard truth I’ve learned: You don’t get promoted to start doing the next level’s work — you get promoted because you already are.
When I want to grow into a new role or responsibility, I reverse-engineer it:
- What problems does someone at that level solve?
- What trade-offs do they handle?
- What kind of influence do they have?
Then I look for ways to start doing that, even without permission.
That mindset has opened more doors than any formal performance review.
5. Title Doesn’t Define Trajectory
The best engineers I’ve worked with don’t obsess over job titles.
They obsess over their craft, their impact, and their trajectory.
You can have a “Senior” title and stagnate.
You can be an “IC” and operate at Staff+ level.
You can grow horizontally — by mentoring, by contributing to strategy, by shaping culture.
The career path for a builder isn’t a ladder. It’s a lattice.
6. I Invest in Depth and Range
In every career, there’s tension between specialization and breadth.
My approach:
→ Go deep in 1–2 core areas (e.g., ML systems, infra, optimization)
→ Go wide enough to understand adjacent contexts (product, infra, design, strategy)
This gives me “T-shaped” skills — depth where it counts, range where it matters.
The best problems to solve often live at the intersection of domains.
7. I Reflect in Seasons, Not Sprints
Growth doesn’t always feel like forward motion.
Some seasons are about building.
Some are about learning.
Some are about pausing, resetting, and zooming out.
Every 6 months, I ask myself:
- What am I proud of?
- What felt heavy?
- What should I double down on?
- What should I let go of?
This reflection helps me re-align — before I get too far off-track.
Final Thoughts
Career growth as a builder isn’t always visible from the outside.
It shows up in:
- the clarity of your thinking
- the quality of your decisions
- the confidence with which you say “no”
- the systems you leave behind
And ultimately, in how you make the people and products around you better.
If you’re growing in that direction — you’re doing just fine.
✉️ I'd love to hear how you think about growth — especially if you're navigating ambiguity, changing paths, or just figuring it out. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or subscribe to my Substack for more thoughts on ML systems, tech, and learning in public.