[adit20]

Interesting perspective. I kind of agree with you. I have a follow up question. Even within IC, there are different levels. One may want to keep a low profile ( for less stress, job security etc) and remain at the same level. But others around (including juniors) can get promoted to the higher IC levels. Due to this, people may perceive you as not good enough. How does one handle this?

[jasonv]

I know people in large orgs who've kept their IC role for 5-10 years, largely because they definitely provide value. They own their space, but they don't use that in a negative power way. They tend to be very generous with their time and knowledge. They're also net-positive contributors. That's a thing to figure out, for sure. It's sometimes the case that the one getting promoted isn't actually providing greater value, they're just the obvious answer to a painful question.

I think this is also a little easier when you're a little older. I was a ladder climber early on in my career. I'm older now, and in enterprise orgs, there are plenty of seasoned people. It's not obvious that you should be hankering after a title if you've otherwise established yourself.

This may bend differently in startups or hyper-growing orgs.