The opportunity to work at Cheesecake Labs appeared on my LinkedIn feed in the middle of a detailed job hunt. I was looking to work in an environment that felt collaborative and professional \u2014 I also wanted to be somewhere that my potential career trajectory was made clear.<\/p>\n
At the time, my job description was Software Engineer. But I knew that in the not-so-distant future I wanted to climb to Senior Engineer and, eventually, to Tech Lead.
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Even as I started my initial research into the Cheesecake Labs company and how it operates, I could tell that I\u2019d found my tribe. The projects looked excellent<\/a>. The team had great reviews<\/a>. The structure of the company was exactly what I had in mind.<\/p>\n Now all I had to go was get in!<\/p>\n I entered the CKL recruitment process in March and on April 14th 2021, I was logging on for my first day.<\/p>\n The CKL recruitment team was really receptive to my aspirations of becoming a Tech Lead. In fact, they even encouraged me to join the leadership acceleration program from as early as my first day.<\/p>\n That\u2019s one of the stand-out values I\u2019ve come to love here at Cheesecake Labs. Sure, we\u2019re a software design and engineering partner, but technology isn\u2019t the only thing that matters here.<\/p>\n Professional and personal development is something that\u2019s always been a priority for me \u2014 and that\u2019s echoed back by the Cheesecake Labs team 100%. After all, the better we feel in the jobs we\u2019re doing, the better job we can do for our clients.<\/p>\n As an aspiring Tech Lead, I look up to the rest of the Senior Team as people who have \u201cbeen there, done that\u201d and can show me how it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n Within my first few weeks in the team, I had sat down for a 1-to-1 with my Project Manager to talk about leadership, what it means to be a leader at CKL, and the ways that I could improve my leadership skills and competencies.<\/p>\n My PM gives me development tasks to try, but he also more-or-less leaves me to do the job: to lead! I\u2019ve been inspired to step up and take the position of a leader \u2014 even if I still feel like I\u2019m on the journey to getting there! I manage conversations with our clients and organize the engineering team.<\/p>\n Now that I\u2019m training as a Tech Lead I\u2019m also closer to the VP of Engineering. He\u2019s giving me his advice, feedback on what to improve, and telling me what I need to do to become a better leader.<\/p>\n Massive thanks to the senior staffers who\u2019ve supported me so far in the program:<\/p>\n There\u2019s always a learning curve to navigate when starting at a new company. And in my move to Cheesecake Labs, I\u2019m also learning how to level up and manage a team.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not always easy \u2014 but it is always fun.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve managed to avoid getting stressed out by anything simply because my colleagues are so welcoming. I also get the feeling that they genuinely care about my progression. Mistakes aren\u2019t mistakes, they\u2019re lessons. And with the emphasis on \u2018learning by doing\u2019 I get to take all the advice I\u2019m hearing and put it into practice immediately.<\/p>\n Other Cakers who have been through the leadership program here say that 1 year at CKL is like 3 years elsewhere. And I can believe them! Our company has a fast-paced learning method and we develop people in record time.<\/strong><\/p>\n They say that, as a leader, you need to be a great communicator, have empathy for others, and know the value of teamwork (and how to promote it). I hope that during my first three months on the Cheesecake Labs leadership program I\u2019ve started to exhibit these skills.<\/p>\n And, who knows, maybe I\u2019ll even help inspire other people who want to get to where I am today?<\/p>\n If you\u2019re reading this thinking, \u201cHow can I make the step from Software Engineer to Senior Engineer or Tech Lead?\u201d, my advice would be:<\/p>\n The technology industry is constantly<\/em> evolving.<\/p>\n I would say that keeping up-to-date with sector news, insights, and opinions is important for anyone working within our field \u2014 but it\u2019s essential if you want to be a leader. Remember, people will look to you as someone who knows their stuff (both clients and colleagues alike).<\/p>\n Read everything you can. Play around with new tech as it becomes available. Have an opinion on what\u2019s changing and why.<\/p>\n Being a Tech Lead is about both understanding and championing tech and helping other people succeed. That\u2019s why I\u2019d recommend any aspiring Senior Engineer to find and follow the prominent leaders who resonate with you.<\/p>\n Personally, I like Bill Gates and follow him on LinkedIn<\/a> and via his blog<\/a>. I make it my mission to read some of the books that Bill recommends<\/a> \u2014 especially the ones on leadership and personal development, even if there\u2019s no direct link back to the work I do.<\/p>\n I think there\u2019s something to be gained from simply observing the world\u2019s best leaders and thinking, \u201cOkay, what\u2019s working for them and why?<\/p>\n How did they achieve it?\u201d.<\/p>\n This is an unusual time to become a new manager. My team is distributed right across Brazil and, as it stands we don\u2019t have any plans to meet up IRL. And, at the same time, our projects move quickly and it\u2019s crucial we all stay connected.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve set the standard that my team checks in formally, once a day, to share news and updates. We also chat using Slack throughout the day, but with the understanding that someone\u2019s response will not always be synchronous. We\u2019ve all got our own stuff going on as we continue to navigate the pandemic \u2014 and we need to be as sensitive to that as possible while keeping morale and energy high and achieving excellence in our products.<\/p>\nMy first three months on the Cheesecake Labs leadership program<\/h2>\n
Working 1 on 1 with the Senior Team<\/h3>\n
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\u2018Learning by doing\u2019 is a fast-track to success<\/h2>\n
My advice for other Senior Software Engineers and those on their way to Tech Lead\u2026<\/h2>\n
Keep your finger on the pulse<\/h3>\n
Learn from the best leaders<\/h3>\n
Be available for your team \u2014 whatever the circumstances<\/h3>\n