- Career progression in tech is inconsistent across the industry, but it's essential to think about career growth in terms of ownership and scope of work.
- Progression is marked by an increase in responsibilities, from doing tasks to handling features to leading product strategies.
- Junior developers focus on feedback receptiveness, proactive learning, and task completion skills.
- Mid-level developers aim for efficiency and independence, tackling larger and less defined pieces of work.
- Senior developers take on a leadership role, having a vision, planning work effectively, and understanding trade-offs.
- Startups offer opportunities to own large projects even at junior levels, allowing more exposure to different business aspects.
- Nikki advocates for staying a generalist initially in your career and tasting different aspects of tech to find out what you enjoy the most.
- Communication, decision-making, and prioritization are not seen as "soft skills", but as necessary ones for career growth.
- Working in a startup demands more self-driven learning due to the balance between timely delivery and professional development.
- Joining startups can also provide insights into starting a company, understanding funding rounds, and gaining a user-centric approach.
- Startups come with more responsibility and accountability, which can lead to greater pressure, but also to unique opportunities for growth and skill development.
