As your career progresses, it can become increasingly difficult to understand how to move up the ladder as an individual contributor. Extending on our "Square’s Growth Framework for Engineers", we are now sharing in depth what it means to grow from being a team leader (Level 6) to being an organizational leader (Level 7), specifically focused on the journey for individual contributors.
While everyone’s career path is unique, we’ll navigate through ways you can become an organizational leader by partnering with your Engineering Manager (EM), Product Manager (PM), and peers within your organization. Keep in mind, this is focused on the journey, and is not necessarily a step-by-step guide or timeline.
Each section will reflect a part of our engineering ladder, and will include questions to help you think about your own path, achievements, and personal goals.
Ultimately, you are responsible for your personal growth. Learning opportunities might be dependent on projects and teams, but it’s crucial to acknowledge that you are the driving force behind what you want to learn next. Growth can have many different destinations and it isn’t “one path fits all”.