
Latest
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From engineer to manager, told from both sides
Every leap from IC to EM is shaped by mentorship, missteps, and moments of clarity. Here’s a rare look at both sides of that journey.
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Be the best ally to your business development team
As a staff+ engineer, being the bridge between engineering and the business development team isn’t always straightforward.
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Crypto is hiring developers. Interested?
With tech hiring in a big freeze, crypto roles are looking more and more attractive to developers, but is it worth the risk?
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Strategies to hone commercial awareness and drive business outcomes
Learn effective strategies for enhancing commercial awareness in tech teams, turning engineering into a business driver through alignment, impactful initiatives, and stakeholder engagement.
Editor’s picks
Engineering leadership is not just about code
If you’re looking to move into an engineering leadership position, you’ll have to do more than brush up on code!
How to find and become a great engineering mentor
Mentoring is a great way to boost your career. Here’s everything you need to know about getting a mentor, and becoming one yourself.
How to navigate unexpected role changes
At one point or another, you may have to face an unexpected role change. It might not be what you want, but there are ways to make it work.

London • June 16 & 17, 2025
Speakers Gergely Orosz, Camille Fournier
and Lara Hogan confirmed
Essential reading

Learning to enjoy the career progression journey
Reaching a management position in the tech industry is hard work. It’s important to remember to enjoy the journey and celebrate victories big and small along the way.
On our Career development playlist

There and back again – A cautionary tale about entering middle management
Explore the realities of middle management through a journey of promotion, stress, and self-reflection, offering guidance on finding the right leadership path.

Unconventional paths in tech: Leveraging your strengths to find your place
n this talk, Mitra Raman will take a look at the many paths that engineers can take on their leadership journey.

Career vectors for technical leaders
Mix and match skills to become the best technical leader that you can be.

The path from Director to CTO: How to follow it, or how to mentor it
This talk is aimed at both aspiring Chief Technology Officers and those who are in a position to mentor future CTOs. Explore the journey from a Director of Engineering role to a CTO, focusing on the skills and experiences needed for this transition and how experienced leaders can guide others on this path.

Essential soft skills you need to succeed as an engineer
There is a big focus on technical expertise in software engineering – but soft skills are equally as important. Which ones are crucial to master and how can you do this?


The festival of engineering leadership
London • June 16 & 17, 2025
More about Career development
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Ask Mathias: How can I build a business that lasts?
In today’s market it can be difficult to know where to start when building your business. Community corner’s Mathias is here to help.
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Ask Maria: How to stop team burnout after a subject expert quits
What happens when the one person everyone went to for answers leaves? Our community columnist Maria Ntalla tells us more on the matter.
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Are UK developers too risk averse?
The UK languishes far behind the United States when it comes to building successful software businesses.
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Who are technical program managers? Force multipliers for engineering teams
Technical program managers are integral for streamlining large, cross-functional projects. Learn about their job description and career path.
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How to keep up with tech trends and upskill sustainably
With so many developments in the tech world it’s difficult to keep up. Here are some strategies to stay on top of your upskilling.
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How to start leading as an individual contributor
If you’re looking to flex your people management muscles, here are some things you can get stuck into while still and IC.
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How to avoid complacency after success
It can be easy to sit back and bask in success. But it’s important not to linger in that feeling as it may impede future development.
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Ask Maria: How do I balance all my work without hiring?
During a time when headcounts are being reduced and workload is being increased, how can you effectively manage everything without hiring?
Top Career development videos
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How to progress as an engineer while doing what you love
Blanca Rojo Martin shares how a large organisation like UBS has created a three-level strategy for Engineers technical career progression.
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Putting down line management; returning to an individual contributor role
Caroline Handley will help you crystallise what options there are. It will clarify what actions can be taken to find out more. Whether you decide to ‘put down line management’ or not, you can make that decision in a more informed way and be more confident in your choices.
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Working sideways
Aish Raj Dahal touches upon this slightly less talked about aspect of the job as a technical IC leader, which is creating peer relationships and working with other Staff engineers in shaping an organization’s technical roadmap.
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Exit plans and how to talk about them
David Kiger covers why the answer to that question is important, how to set up the culture to enable the conversation, how to actually have the conversations once the foundation is laid, and the benefits that both employees and the company get out of it.
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“I’m happy where I am” – Supporting team members that aren’t seeking progression
Ryan MacGillivray talks about how realistically not everyone can or wants to be a Lead Engineer/Engineering Manager/Staff Engineer and nor should we be pushing people into roles they either have no interest in or have done before and not enjoyed.
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Making the move to manager: Common pitfalls for new engineering leaders
Jacqueline Pan and Marlena Lui focus on challenges involved with people leadership: – How to rebrand yourself as a new engineering leader – How to build trust with a new team without prior experience or credibility – How to delegate effectively – How to balance proactive leadership without micromanaging.
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Strategies for succeeding as a underrepresented engineering leader
Rafia Qutab Kilian will draw on her experience as a Lead Engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and as a woman to provide strategies for how to succeed at work, alongside her own stories of how she put these into practice.
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The framework of you: Strategies beyond a growth mindset
In this talk, Dan Blundell will help you explore ways to understand yourself and your own capabilities in the infinite quest to be better by applying familiar engineering patterns and practices to your own development.