| It's important to understand it's business, not personal. I strongly dislike the comments in this thread that say "Leave". That's an emotional reaction but it doesn't help you advance. In fact, you'll slide back down the ladder. You should just explore what is the best option in front of you and do that. Really, if you want more responsibility, you have to sell someone else that you're the best person to have that responsibility. No one should give it to you out of loyalty because that is a disservice to all the other people in your organization that are relying on you to fulfill that responsibility. It doesn't sound to me like you know what you want to do--mostly because you have not explored your options. I will hope you have a good relationship with the founders. In that case you should have an open and honest conversation with them reflecting about your experience so far, that you're proud of the range of experiences you've had, and hence why you think you're ready to do something more--but you're not sure what. If they are friends, they'll help you. You can ask them to give you feedback on what they felt you did well and what they felt others could do better, so they hired externally. This will give you something tangible you can work on. If they are really loyal back to you, they'll create an opportunity for you to develop skills that will lead to advancement. Of course, this conversation is very shocking and anxiety inducing for the founders so how you frame it is important. If you are not accusing them of passing you over, but really genuine about learning and developing yourself, most people will want to help you. If not, you may find a better opportunity elsewhere. Again, it's just business. Keep in mind, sometimes you have to sell yourself into a role that you're not quite sure you can do--and then do it. p.s. If you asked me, it sounds like you're interested in a engineering management role, which is not the same as a CTO role. If you have a conversation with the founders, you could focus on that. |
Money, titles, who cares? Life satisfaction is much more important than climbing ladders.