From Junior to Principal... or not! Rethinking career growth for software engineers

Career growth in software engineering is often misunderstood. Too many companies still treat it as a ladder that only moves in one direction: junior → mid → senior → manager. But real career growth is not just about climbing higher. It is about developing expertise, gaining new skills, and finding the right balance between ambition and personal fulfillment.

Some engineers want to become principal engineers, driving deep technical decisions across teams. Others see themselves transitioning into management, taking on people leadership and strategy. Some want to master a specific area, like a frontend developer expanding into backend work or a software engineer moving toward product ownership. And then, there are those who are happy staying in their current role but still want to grow in knowledge, mentorship, or technical breadth.

Rigid career paths do not serve anyone. Engineers need flexibility, and companies that fail to offer it risk losing their best people.

Why career growth matters in a software engineering team

Growth is not just a personal goal; it affects the entire team. When engineers feel stuck, their engagement drops. When they do not see a future for themselves within the company, they leave. And when leadership forces a one-size-fits-all approach to growth, teams lose both technical expertise and potential leaders.

I once worked with a senior backend engineer who was interested in moving into engineering management. Instead of rushing him into a leadership role, we worked on a structured transition. Over six months, I coached him as he moved into an associate engineering manager role, giving him space to learn without overwhelming him. By the time he officially became an EM, he was ready to lead his own team.

But not everyone wants more responsibility. I also knew a senior full-stack engineer who had zero interest in becoming a principal engineer or a manager. He had seen what those roles required and knew the extra responsibility would negatively impact his quality of life. He was happy where he was. That did not mean his growth stopped. He picked up Go, kept on mentoring junior developers, and stayed engaged in the team’s evolution. Growth for him was about depth, not promotion. And that was completely valid.

What engineering managers can do to support meaningful career growth

Help engineers define their own goals

Not everyone wants to manage people, and not everyone wants to stay purely technical. The key is to ask, listen, and adapt. A structured career conversation should go beyond “where do you see yourself in five years?” It should explore what kind of work excites them, where they feel the most impact, and what challenges they enjoy solving.

Build structured but flexible career paths

Having clear expectations for each role helps engineers understand what growth looks like. The mistake many companies make is assuming that a single roadmap works for everyone. A great engineering team needs multiple growth paths, whether that is technical leadership, people management, or deep specialization.

Career conversations should not happen once a year at performance reviews. They should be ongoing discussions, adjusting as engineers refine their goals.

Encourage continuous learning and exploration

An engineer’s career should never feel stagnant. Companies that invest in learning, through mentorship programs, technical talks, conference support, or time for side projects, build teams that stay curious and adaptable.

Some engineers grow by expanding their technical knowledge into new areas, like a backend developer learning cloud infrastructure or a frontend developer diving into accessibility best practices. Others grow by teaching, becoming go-to mentors for junior engineers. Both forms of growth are equally valuable.

Give engineers real ownership

Growth does not just come from promotions. Engineers develop by owning projects, making decisions, and leading initiatives. Giving an engineer a challenging project with the right support builds confidence and skill.

I have seen engineers step into leadership without a formal title, simply by taking ownership of a complex technical problem and guiding the team toward a solution. That kind of leadership matters just as much as a promotion.

Career growth is not a checklist, it is a journey

The best engineering teams are not built by forcing people into predefined roles. They thrive when engineers have room to grow in a way that makes sense for them.

Some will move into management. Some will push technical boundaries. Some will stay exactly where they are, doing what they love, while still evolving as mentors and experts.

Every path is valid, and it is an engineering manager’s job to help unlock those opportunities.

At the end of the day, people do their best work when they feel challenged, valued, and supported. Growth is not about titles. It is about becoming better, every step of the way.