When you think about your professional strengths and skill sets, what comes to mind? Maybe you take pride in your ability to communicate and delegate. Or maybe you credit yourself for being a quick learner and problem-solving pro.
Now imagine asking the same question of a coworker in a similar role. What are the chances they’ll have the same response?
It’s unrealistic for professionals — especially those in engineering roles — to follow the same predestined path toward developing their careers. Some engineers are natural leaders who thrive in managerial roles, while others are fit to dig deeper into their own technical skill sets.
From his days as a software development intern to his current role as a senior engineer at Intercept Games, Mark Jones’ career has led him on a path best suited to his skills and goals. Although the direction he was headed in would typically lead to a management role, Jones recognized that wasn’t the right fit for him.
“I identified that my strengths and professional preferences lined up with continuing to grow as an individual contributor,” he explained. With the help of his manager, Jones is keeping himself on the right path — one that will allow him to develop further as an engineer.
Knowing that there needs to be wiggle room for their engineers to grow — whether as managers or individual contributors — the team at Intercept Games is equipped to foster that growth by precisely and intentionally defining possible career structures for their team members. Built In Seattle sat down with Jones to learn more about his engineering journey and professional development, and how both are supported by Intercept Games.
Tell us about your career journey thus far. How long have you been working as a software engineer, and what types of roles have you held?
I've been a professional software engineer for more than 12 years. I originally started as a software development intern at a local software company near my college. After completing my internship, I became an entry-level software engineer at a business intelligence company in Seattle before moving to New York City to accept a mid-level software engineer position making business software for a grants and scholarship management company.
These entry- and mid-level positions were extremely valuable for me, as I was able to observe and work with senior engineering teams that provided great examples of what I should strive for in order to further my own career.
From there, I transitioned into a senior engineering role for a board game company in Minnesota, helping grow a digital games division for the studio. I worked for that team for over seven years, releasing multiple titles before deciding to make the jump into big-budget game development.
I moved back to Seattle, accepting a SE-III level engineering position at Intercept Games, and was promoted to senior engineer after about six months.
I was able to observe and work with senior engineering teams that provided great examples.”
Management isn't for everyone, but many engineers feel it can be difficult to progress in their career without making the jump. How have you navigated conversations about career growth with your manager? What steps have you taken to keep pushing your career forward?
The first part of navigating my career growth was identifying my own strengths and weaknesses. Even as an individual contributor, you are still occasionally responsible for tasks or assignments that would traditionally be performed by management. These opportunities provide some insight into what sorts of skills you excel at, and which ones aren't your strongest. It also highlights what responsibilities you enjoy more than others. So when it's time to meet with your manager about career advancement, you have some data to help inform the conversation.
Another important aspect is having a solid career growth plan at your studio that clearly outlines the job responsibilities and steps required for advancement. This removes any ambiguity in determining what your professional options are.
While I knew that management is often the natural advancement path, I identified that my strengths and professional preferences lined up with continuing to grow as an individual contributor. I worked directly with my manager during reviews and one-on-one meetings to apply this information and carve a professional path forward for myself.
What types of growth opportunities exist at your company for software developers who want to remain in an individual contributor role? And how have you grown in your time with the company?
Intercept Games has a very clearly defined career structure for individual contributor engineers at the studio. Job descriptions and responsibilities for every position from SE-I to principal engineer are outlined. If you identify that you want to remain an individual contributor, you work with your manager to establish a set of professional goals, often focused around the advancement descriptions, in order to form a career growth plan.
During one-on-one meetings and semi-annual review periods, you and your manager evaluate and discuss progress made toward those goals. This allows for a data-driven and measurable milestone for advancement. We also will partner engineers at different professional levels together in order to get some familiarity and exposure to what the higher level positions look like day-to-day.
I actually originally applied for the senior engineer position, but was offered an SE-III position instead. When I was hired, we built my career growth path to get me ready for the senior engineer position. After about six months, when the position opened up, I was offered the promotion.
