Software Engineering Self Awareness

Note to the reader: This is a repost from LinkedIn

In a recent post, I explored building concentric circles of competency. Many of you were intrigued by the first step, ‘Know Thyself’.

Having spent years in Big Tech, I’ve seen how essential self-awareness is to career growth. Let me break it down:

A. Understanding Who You Are Now It’s about honest self-reflection: accepting your strengths and weaknesses. This goes beyond your resume. Genuine self-awareness creates the confidence needed to pursue goals aligned with your strengths.

Examine the gap between how others perceive you and how you see yourself. Ask yourself:

• “What do my colleagues see as my strengths?”
• “Where do they think I could improve?”

Solicit feedback. These moments of disconnection—or alignment—are golden opportunities. I remember being told as a TLM, “Stop trying to code, you’re blocking the team…” That’s when I knew I should focus on engineering management. On the other hand, folks often tell me they enjoy my creative approach to problems, and I enjoy riffing on ideas and building new things (ask me about my LLM-powered e-ink display of bad jokes!)

Performance programs like GRAD at Google are valuable sources of information. Don’t shy away from introspection. This step is hard. It demands that you dig in and find yourself.

B. Understanding Who You Want to Be Forget about a perfect 10-year plan. This is about active exploration. Clarity comes from action.

Instead of waiting to become the leader I aspired to be, I started embodying those qualities early on. I was already contributing to architectural decisions, mentoring, and taking ownership. This “act as if” approach is about growing into your aspirations. Want to be seen as a leader? Volunteer to lead a project or mentor a new hire. Aspire to be a technical expert? Deep dive into a tech and share your knowledge. Do, don’t ask. (or at least make it asking for forgiveness)

C. Understanding How to Get There The bridge between who you are and who you want to be is built through strategic action.

Your path doesn’t have to be revolutionary – it needs to be authentic. Sometimes, the best opportunities exist within your current role. This might involve seeking a mentor, identifying projects that align with your goals, or investing in your development.

Remember that growth isn’t always linear. Stay focused on your goals and remain adaptable.

The Most Important Question

“What energizes me most?” This emerged through years of paying attention to what activities left me feeling fulfilled. For a while, I did a ton of “what the business needed,” and it left me drained. This isn’t about a perfect plan; it’s about understanding your motivations.

When you align your strengths with your aspirations and find opportunities that energize you, work becomes a path to continuous growth.

Take some time to reflect. What energizes you? Where do you want to go?

Now go do it.

https://yewjin.com/blog/2022/software-engineering-managing/