[lWaterboardCats]

At this point in this industry and in my experience, the further up the chain you go, the more “SWE” becomes a tool in your belt rather than your career.

The problems you solve for the business are using your tool belt. Even within software, there are sales roles, people management, subject matter expertise, vendor management etc…

For those who have said similar things in my area, most of the time, the better question they ultimately had to ask themselves was “what kind of problems do I want to solve, regardless of the tools? Who do I want to help? What VERY SPECIFIC part of my job don’t haye? Are there parts of my day or events in my career that I genuinely loved?” The last couple of questions are there to help you focus on areas you want to focus less and more on, respectively. No matter the job, you’re gonna have parts you dislike and parts your like, the key is to maximize the things you like.

I don’t mean to undermine the SWE industry standards and practices as a whole, but peeling this onion away, I assure you that you’re using a hammer that can be taken to any industry and will benefit you in general knowing how to use it.