Being Known
Personal branding as a software engineer
This post is wasted on my free subs.
Most of you will read this and largely ignore what I say in this post. Just think twice about what I say… and think twice about converting to a paid sub. If you want to be a career associate, don’t read this post, its not worth your time. This is for the people that want to climb. I debated keeping this behind the paywall just so the proper audience would see it, but for some reason I think this could help the few of you who should be paid subs, but have not made the jump yet.
Yes, the goal is to escape Shawshank and become sovereign, but you should not quit your job until your side income is >2x your W2.
has said that many times, and stressed the importance of SALES many times. Given that it will take time for you (and me) to build income outside of corporate. Which means you need to focus on climbing the ladder and building political capital.Software Engineers hate sales, marketing, and human resources. We’re logical, they’re not. We build products, they don’t. This is not an unusual sentiment among software engineers, and its natural to feel that way. People that are top software engineers usually would not be top sales executives. Different parts of the brain, and attract different types of people. No shame in this observation, hopefully I havnt’t lost anyone yet.
Even though we tend to dislike sales and marketing, that is *not* an excuse to not develop that skillset. Everything is sales. Sales is one of the highest leverage skills to learn alongside software engineering.
Note: Sorry for the delays, I was writing some guest posts, hopefully will get another premium post out this weekend. thanks avatars.
As I mention in that post, your corporate job will not solely be defined by your merit and skills at software engineering. Most engineers dream they will be solely judged off their GitHub commit graph or their one line LeetCode solutions, unfortunately this is not reality. You cannot ignore sales, politics and marketing. Those who do will be out ranked by mediocre engineers and always be wondering ‘why not me’, many of you probably know this person.
I want to be clear, politics and networking only matter if you perform. Nothing can save you if you’re in the bottom bucket. You want to be near the bottom of the top bucket with strong political capital. Why? You are a top performer, but you dont bother the extra squeeze to get to the top of the top bucket. At most companies, there isnt a big enough different for the extra effort.
Performance first, then politics and networking.
Personal Branding (as a software engineer)
What i mean by personal branding, is becoming known, or creating status. I hate the term just as much as anyone else, but you must play the game. Perception is reality. If management perceives you as a good engineer, or a expert on cloud networking - you are. It is that simple.
Becoming known is about networking and showcasing your work. Follow this simple framework for networking:
The Basics: A lot of emails have come in asking about “how to network” and the theme is the same, people are asking the wrong questions. Instead of asking how “you can get something” the question you should be asking is “How can I be a positive in a person’s life”. Networking and building a strong social circle is relatively simple at heart, 1) help someone make more money, 2) improve their sex life or 3) improve their mood by being a fun and interesting person.
This is from an old WSP post, and is worth a read. The high level goal is the same - how can I be a positive in this person’s life. Which usually boils down to those three things. Remember software engineers are usually very dry and not funny, which means having a good sense of humour and charisma can go a long way in these circles. Especially if you are onsite working long hours, although this rarely seems to be the case anymore.
Networking (with people)
Hope that made at least one person laugh. Internal networking is still *very* important. The goal is to become known as an expert on a matter or good enough while being someone they like. You want people to associate a product or technology with you, so when they think “i have a question on <product, technology, w/e>” they think “celt is knowledgeable and nice lets start there”. To get to that place you need to tell people who you are, what your core competencies are, and make them like you.
In the context of engineering, you can help other engineers solve problems, provide helpful feedback or different lenses on a problem, or even a simple compliment on their work. Rarely do I see software engineers compliment other software engineers. Saying thanks is not enough. If your company as a rewards system, that is a super easy way to start building relationships. If not a simple email to their manager with them CC’d is a good way to give positive feedback. Managers like to hear their directs are serving customers well or whatever they’re doing. Additionally, it gives them additional ammo to fight for promotions, depending on how your company does promotions this can be helpful.
Remember though, with networking you want to focus most of your efforts on higher level individuals. You mentor down, and network up. If you want to find people who you should impress, look in your company internal documentation repository. Look for flagship products and note who the authors or contributors are and look to ask them detailed questions about the work or compliment them on something.
Second method is to get onto your version control system, similar process, find the flagship or important product, and look at the commit history. See who the heavy hitters are and go from here.
Remember networking is sales. You are saying to the higher status person: I can add value to your life. That is exactly the skillset you need to develop to make a side hustle or WiFi money. Especially in the tech world where that often includes creating your own consulting shop or freelancing. Its the same pitch, due to my technical expertise I can add value to your life.
Consequences of not networking
The goal is to build political capital and slowly work less. Hopefully you are at least at a hybrid job, if not you should be trying to get one in most circumstances. As you become known and build political capital you will be perceived as a hard worker who is knowledgeable. That means you can slowly start working less and/or delegate more. Remember perception is reality. As you work less at corporate you work more on side incomes, and reinvest those earnings until you are free.
Weak networking and political capital will usually mean that you will end up switching jobs more frequently. Most people will tell you that you should switch jobs ever 2-4 years. I am here to tell you that is not the best advice. The 10-20% raise may not always be worth the political capital and clout you’ve built up. A new job means you have to play the political game all over again. Again, everyone’s circumstances are different, but think about where you are before you ink the 10% raise.
Note: You should be willing to take a ~10% pay cut for a full time remote job. This is generally how the math works out with commute savings. Again, nothing new here
readers now this.Conclusion
In summation, it is essential to take the reality of corporate culture to heart: it's a game of perception, political capital, and yes, sales. As software engineers, our skills in logical and product-oriented thinking are paramount, but in isolation, they can only take us so far. The art of networking, or selling oneself, is a non-negotiable ingredient for success in this arena. Embrace the discomfort of learning sales and marketing, and learn to wield these tools to your advantage.
Your personal brand, reputation, and influence are a function of the value you bring to others and how well you communicate that value. This value can be about making people's lives better or easier, helping them make more money, or simply being a funny and intriguing character to interact with. Your focus should not solely be on being a technically competent engineer but on being an asset that people laugh with or depend on for a favor.
It is not enough to just excel in your field; you must also make sure others recognize your expertise and like you. This isn't about manipulation or shallow flattery but about genuine connections and interactions. Remember, a good reputation and strong relationships with influential individuals in your company can safeguard you from frequently switching jobs or losing your standing.
If you hope to gradually reduce your reliance on your main job and build up side income, remember to balance your technical abilities with an equal measure of interpersonal skills and savvy. Strive to make your presence felt in the company, impress the right people, and, above all, bring value to their lives. This is the road to freedom - a hard one, perhaps, but also a rewarding one. As always, the choice is yours. Equal Opportunity, unequal results
-celt