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From me, to You
It's time to optimize the biggest bottleneck you'll ever face:
Yourself
You finally did it. You learned to code. Made it through the interview process and came out the other end a newly minted professional software engineer. Congratulations.
But that was a little while ago. Now, you have a problem.
You started your first job, excited to begin your career as a software engineer. The first few months were great. You dove into the codebase. You stayed up late working on tickets just for fun. Everything was new and exciting.
Eventually you ramped up. People started asking you questions. You felt confident and knowledgeable. All the hard work you have put in up until now finally paid off. You were able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Then Things Changed.
Now, people aren’t really impressed by your performance. In fact, you have a suspicion that you might be starting to fall behind. You feel frustrated that you aren't learning as much as you used to. Little by little, things begin to feel like they're slowing down.
You eventually have to admit to yourself that you’re, well, kind of bored. I remember when I did. It sucked.
You resolve to work harder in order to make up for it. To impress your colleagues once again. Stay on the up-and-up.
But no matter how many new abstractions, tricky refactors, or awesome products you build, no one really pays attention. You’re one of the best engineers on the team (some people even tell you this), but no one seems to listen to you when you try to make big changes to the codebase.
The same thing used to happen to me. I always used to ask myself, “can’t they see I’m doing great work?”. No one takes your ideas seriously. You do all this work, but get no recognition. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be, right?!
You try asking your manager for feedback. What will it take to get promoted to Senior Engineer? They either just say you’re doing a great job, or something vague and similarly unhelpful.
Meanwhile, you start to see colleagues around you get promoted. Some almost every other year while you're stuck as a junior engineer. I remember one day, I overheard a friend who started the same day as me talking about the new project their manager was trusting them to lead. I was overwhelmed with jealousy. I couldn’t think about anything else that day. What are they doing that I’m not? Am I not as good as I think I am? Is there something no one is telling me? It drove me crazy.
Eventually they were leading a team while I was stuck doing another refactor and shouting at an empty room.
They're the rockstar everyone loves. You aren't.
I see this all the time. What ends up happening? You get stuck as a junior engineer. No one wants to work with you and as a result, you get stuck on the least impactful projects.
Eventually you get put on a performance improvement plan. Many companies have an "up or out" policy for junior engineers. Nearly 20 million people have been laid off in the recent recession. Do you think your company will keep a bad performer around when they start needing to reduce costs? Some of the biggest tech “unicorns” like Uber and AirBnB have laid off, in some cases, nearly half their staff. It’s not safe for anyone but the top performers.
This might make you worried. And you should be. Unless you start doing something.
When you don’t improve, you’re eventually laid off. Your options stop vesting and you’re unable to level up financially. You start looking for a new job, but none of your former team members want to be your reference. All the people you thought would say good things about you are silent. You feel betrayed. Maybe they never liked working with you. Or maybe they’re just competing for the same job you are now.
Eventually you might land another job. Somewhere worse. The tech stack is older. Product is less interesting. Your peers are less competent. Is this really where you belong? Every day, you’re forced to make a choice between paying rent and working a bottom of the barrel software job you hate. Your career is basically over having peaked just a few years into it.
But that was a little while ago. Now, you have a problem.
You started your first job, excited to begin your career as a software engineer. The first few months were great. You dove into the codebase. You stayed up late working on tickets just for fun. Everything was new and exciting.
Eventually you ramped up. People started asking you questions. You felt confident and knowledgeable. All the hard work you have put in up until now finally paid off. You were able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Then Things Changed.
Now, people aren’t really impressed by your performance. In fact, you have a suspicion that you might be starting to fall behind. You feel frustrated that you aren't learning as much as you used to. Little by little, things begin to feel like they're slowing down.
You eventually have to admit to yourself that you’re, well, kind of bored. I remember when I did. It sucked.
You resolve to work harder in order to make up for it. To impress your colleagues once again. Stay on the up-and-up.
But no matter how many new abstractions, tricky refactors, or awesome products you build, no one really pays attention. You’re one of the best engineers on the team (some people even tell you this), but no one seems to listen to you when you try to make big changes to the codebase.
The same thing used to happen to me. I always used to ask myself, “can’t they see I’m doing great work?”. No one takes your ideas seriously. You do all this work, but get no recognition. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be, right?!
You try asking your manager for feedback. What will it take to get promoted to Senior Engineer? They either just say you’re doing a great job, or something vague and similarly unhelpful.
Meanwhile, you start to see colleagues around you get promoted. Some almost every other year while you're stuck as a junior engineer. I remember one day, I overheard a friend who started the same day as me talking about the new project their manager was trusting them to lead. I was overwhelmed with jealousy. I couldn’t think about anything else that day. What are they doing that I’m not? Am I not as good as I think I am? Is there something no one is telling me? It drove me crazy.
Eventually they were leading a team while I was stuck doing another refactor and shouting at an empty room.
They're the rockstar everyone loves. You aren't.
I see this all the time. What ends up happening? You get stuck as a junior engineer. No one wants to work with you and as a result, you get stuck on the least impactful projects.
Eventually you get put on a performance improvement plan. Many companies have an "up or out" policy for junior engineers. Nearly 20 million people have been laid off in the recent recession. Do you think your company will keep a bad performer around when they start needing to reduce costs? Some of the biggest tech “unicorns” like Uber and AirBnB have laid off, in some cases, nearly half their staff. It’s not safe for anyone but the top performers.
This might make you worried. And you should be. Unless you start doing something.
When you don’t improve, you’re eventually laid off. Your options stop vesting and you’re unable to level up financially. You start looking for a new job, but none of your former team members want to be your reference. All the people you thought would say good things about you are silent. You feel betrayed. Maybe they never liked working with you. Or maybe they’re just competing for the same job you are now.
Eventually you might land another job. Somewhere worse. The tech stack is older. Product is less interesting. Your peers are less competent. Is this really where you belong? Every day, you’re forced to make a choice between paying rent and working a bottom of the barrel software job you hate. Your career is basically over having peaked just a few years into it.
Lead and drive impactful projects
Better manage expectations with your peers and manager
Make intelligent and practical technical decisions
Know exactly what it takes to get to the next career level
But it doesn't have to be this way.
Why does this happen? The fact of the matter is that some engineers are naturally gifted with the behaviors that make them an asset to management. The behaviors that make their life easy and the team run more smoothly.
When you don’t, you get left behind.
I did all the same things too. I thought if I put in more hours, wrote better code, or talked the loudest I could fix it. I could improve my skills and get noticed. Then maybe if I got noticed enough, I could get promoted.
But it didn’t work. I came so close to going down the path I just described.
As my last ditch effort, I started looking at the most successful engineers I knew. Reaching out and studying what they did. Talking to engineering managers about what only the best engineers they manage do on a daily basis. Interviewing them and taking meticulous notes.
I broke down their behavior. Painstakingly analyzed it. Slowly it started to make sense. I started to see what I was doing wrong.
I always thought by being the best coder I could be promoted as fast as I wanted. But in reality, raw technical skills stop mattering as much after a certain point. Learning more data structures or design patterns weren’t going to get me promoted. But certain soft skills, ways of communicating, and decision making frameworks that I’d been ignoring were.
Was that really it? Is this all I need to do? I got excited. I had to test it out. Piece by piece, I started tweaking my behavior to emulate these people.
To my surprise, it worked. Holy shit it worked! I started getting the results I wanted. I wasn’t the smartest engineer on the team anymore. I was definitely not the hardest worker. Yet the more and more clarity I got, the more I avoided reverting back to my old habits, the more I kept progressing.
My manager started trusting me to run standups. Then backlog grooming. Small projects. Large projects. A few months after that I got to lead one of the biggest projects at the company. Eventually I got promoted and started leading a team.
I started wanting to go to work in the morning. Doing my job was fun again. I was challenged enough to be engaged and constantly learning again. I would come home feeling fulfilled, riding the high of my day. I was really making a difference while doing my best work. I felt that first week magic all over again.
Looking back, I feel so stupid for not seeing it earlier. It wasn’t even that difficult. In fact it was one of the easiest things I’ve done in my career. Now I just wish I could go back and tell my younger self all this my first day as a software engineer. I could be so much further along in my career than I already am.
I don’t want you to have to live with this same regret. Don’t make the same mistakes I did.
Image you can have the career of your dreams. And within just a few months.
By changing a few key behaviors, you can avoid all of this or break out of the cycle you are already in.
You easily get promoted to Senior Engineer in the next review cycle. You can get a $10,000, $30,000, even $50,000 pay increase compared to your current salary. Tens of thousands of extra dollars in your pocket every year that you can put towards a better apartment, nicer meals, or more vacations. Or maybe you just finally want to stop worrying about all that student loan debt you’ve been carrying around and feel financially free.
You can get experience leading impactful projects and teams where you make the crucial decisions. You'll be the first pick to work on the most interesting and technically challenging problems your job has to offer. People will stop and listen intently whenever you decide to speak in meetings. You can really make a difference in people’s lives.
You'll learn how to position yourself so that if you want to change jobs, you know that you can get multiple offers from top-tier tech companies. Or disruptive, fast-paced startups. You can work remotely, giving you the freedom to live anywhere in the world. Imagine working on the beach while the best companies fight over you, one-upping each other to have you come work for them.
You wouldn’t think it’s possible, but trust me, it is. And it feels amazing.
These changes in behavior will make your day to day less stressful, allowing you to work less hours and get the same amount done. You’ll finally have time to start that new hobby, go to the gym, or just spend more time with your friends and family. You’ll have deeper and more fulfilling relationships with everyone around you, not being consumed by work all the time. And you’ll still get promoted faster than you are now.
Book your call now.
Are you ready to stop brute forcing your career and optimize your path towards a promotion? Sign up for a consultation call with me personally right now, completely free of charge. During this time, I will tell you the single most important thing I did to get my manager to trust me to deliver bigger projects than I had ever worked on before.
I hate seeing talented engineers being held back by stupid behaviors that they could easily fix if only they knew what they were missing. I want to help, but I only have room for a handful of clients in order to maintain the quality of coaching, so space is extremely limited. Sign up now before yet another opportunity passes you by.
- Brandon
But it doesn't have to be this way.
Why does this happen? The fact of the matter is that some engineers are naturally gifted with the behaviors that make them an asset to management. The behaviors that make their life easy and the team run more smoothly.
When you don’t, you get left behind.
I did all the same things too. I thought if I put in more hours, wrote better code, or talked the loudest I could fix it. I could improve my skills and get noticed. Then maybe if I got noticed enough, I could get promoted.
But it didn’t work. I came so close to going down the path I just described.
As my last ditch effort, I started looking at the most successful engineers I knew. Reaching out and studying what they did. Talking to engineering managers about what only the best engineers they manage do on a daily basis. Interviewing them and taking meticulous notes.
I broke down their behavior. Painstakingly analyzed it. Slowly it started to make sense. I started to see what I was doing wrong.
I always thought by being the best coder I could be promoted as fast as I wanted. But in reality, raw technical skills stop mattering as much after a certain point. Learning more data structures or design patterns weren’t going to get me promoted. But certain soft skills, ways of communicating, and decision making frameworks that I’d been ignoring were.
Was that really it? Is this all I need to do? I got excited. I had to test it out. Piece by piece, I started tweaking my behavior to emulate these people.
To my surprise, it worked. Holy shit it worked! I started getting the results I wanted. I wasn’t the smartest engineer on the team anymore. I was definitely not the hardest worker. Yet the more and more clarity I got, the more I avoided reverting back to my old habits, the more I kept progressing.
My manager started trusting me to run standups. Then backlog grooming. Small projects. Large projects. A few months after that I got to lead one of the biggest projects at the company. Eventually I got promoted and started leading a team.
I started wanting to go to work in the morning. Doing my job was fun again. I was challenged enough to be engaged and constantly learning again. I would come home feeling fulfilled, riding the high of my day. I was really making a difference while doing my best work. I felt that first week magic all over again.
Looking back, I feel so stupid for not seeing it earlier. It wasn’t even that difficult. In fact it was one of the easiest things I’ve done in my career. Now I just wish I could go back and tell my younger self all this my first day as a software engineer. I could be so much further along in my career than I already am.
I don’t want you to have to live with this same regret. Don’t make the same mistakes I did.
Image you can have the career of your dreams. And within just a few months.
By changing a few key behaviors, you can avoid all of this or break out of the cycle you are already in.
You easily get promoted to Senior Engineer in the next review cycle. You can get a $10,000, $30,000, even $50,000 pay increase compared to your current salary. Tens of thousands of extra dollars in your pocket every year that you can put towards a better apartment, nicer meals, or more vacations. Or maybe you just finally want to stop worrying about all that student loan debt you’ve been carrying around and feel financially free.
You can get experience leading impactful projects and teams where you make the crucial decisions. You'll be the first pick to work on the most interesting and technically challenging problems your job has to offer. People will stop and listen intently whenever you decide to speak in meetings. You can really make a difference in people’s lives.
You'll learn how to position yourself so that if you want to change jobs, you know that you can get multiple offers from top-tier tech companies. Or disruptive, fast-paced startups. You can work remotely, giving you the freedom to live anywhere in the world. Imagine working on the beach while the best companies fight over you, one-upping each other to have you come work for them.
You wouldn’t think it’s possible, but trust me, it is. And it feels amazing.
These changes in behavior will make your day to day less stressful, allowing you to work less hours and get the same amount done. You’ll finally have time to start that new hobby, go to the gym, or just spend more time with your friends and family. You’ll have deeper and more fulfilling relationships with everyone around you, not being consumed by work all the time. And you’ll still get promoted faster than you are now.
Book your call now.
Are you ready to stop brute forcing your career and optimize your path towards a promotion? Sign up for a consultation call with me personally right now, completely free of charge. During this time, I will tell you the single most important thing I did to get my manager to trust me to deliver bigger projects than I had ever worked on before.
I hate seeing talented engineers being held back by stupid behaviors that they could easily fix if only they knew what they were missing. I want to help, but I only have room for a handful of clients in order to maintain the quality of coaching, so space is extremely limited. Sign up now before yet another opportunity passes you by.
- Brandon
“After two years, I was the only engineer in my starting class to not have gotten promoted yet. I felt like I was working harder and harder but getting nowhere.
Within a month of starting coaching, I got to lead a high-pri project. The next review cycle, I got promoted to senior.”
“Starting my first engineering job, I wanted to level up fast. I spent eight years in marketing before taking a bootcamp just to start all over at square one.
I felt like I was playing catchup on day one. With Brandon's help, I got promoted to tech lead after six months.”
“I'm still in shock. My manager just told me I got the highest rating I've ever gotten on my performance review. And he's putting me up for my second promotion in a year and a half.
I wasted three years as a junior engineer before starting coaching.”
Book NOw
Imagine being stuck as a junior engineer
And a promotion was just a few small behavior changes away, but no one ever tells you.
With a few small tweaks in your everyday behavior, you can get promoted faster, get paid more, and work less.
Meet Brandon
Hey, I'm Brandon
I'm a professional software engineer with tenure at elite FANG companies, disruptive startups, and even some stuff in between. I've been an engineer, tech lead, and managed people.
I spent the first few years of my career feeling like I was banging my head against the wall. Then one day, I finally figured out what I was doing wrong and my career progress skyrocketed.
Now I want to help you get on this fast track without losing all the time I did.
Faster Career Progress
Make More Money
Become A Better Engineer
More Free Time
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to take time off work or live in some specific location to be coached?
No! All coaching takes place via video conferencing outside of typical work hours.
How is this different from an online course?
Coaching is far more effective and tailored to each individual. There is no recycled curriculum that you consume passively.
Each session's content directly addresses the issue you are facing right now and guides you down the quickest, actionable path to seeing measurable result.
Do I have to work at a big tech company to be coached?
Nope! I've coached clients at all sizes of companies, from big recognizable names to small startups and freelancers. While the specific techniques may vary from role to role, the principles taught all remain the same.
Will you teach me how to code?
While I've taught aspiring software engineers in the past, I've found that my specific knowledge is much more impactful for individuals who are already at the point where they are coding professionally and are looking to "level up" their abilities.
