Re:Ask HN: Solutions Architects were you promoted into that ...
by hellolemon on Monday October 17, 2022 @11:08PM
(#33242516)
Funny you should ask, I just accepted an offer for SA.
I only got offered to interview for SA when it was clear that I didn’t want to stay in the engineering track. HR was adamant that I interview for SWE. I think this is due to the fact that a) the implicitly think you have little soft skills because so many engineers don’t and b) it’s much easier to place you in SWE.
In the end, I did get a Sr. SA role through referral from an old colleague that is a product manager. The HM was excited someone technical was joining his team. I would try and see if you can get a referral from someone you worked with that isn’t a SWE.
I think this is a great job to do for a year or two to expand your breadth. Client relationships are extremely important at C level roles and being able to transcribe technical to non-technical is valuable. I only got interested in this role after seeing 2 Google VPs go through this non-traditional route.
Don’t underestimate the importance of interpersonal skills in management. I see a lot of EMs get stuck at their level for years. I suspect part of the reason is their breadth is too narrow. They don’t see the big picture because they never interacted with external stakeholders. It is risky to promote them because you don’t know how they will interact with investors and large clients.
With your background, once you do this for a few years, you should be on track for upper management.
I only got offered to interview for SA when it was clear that I didn’t want to stay in the engineering track. HR was adamant that I interview for SWE. I think this is due to the fact that a) the implicitly think you have little soft skills because so many engineers don’t and b) it’s much easier to place you in SWE.
In the end, I did get a Sr. SA role through referral from an old colleague that is a product manager. The HM was excited someone technical was joining his team. I would try and see if you can get a referral from someone you worked with that isn’t a SWE.
I think this is a great job to do for a year or two to expand your breadth. Client relationships are extremely important at C level roles and being able to transcribe technical to non-technical is valuable. I only got interested in this role after seeing 2 Google VPs go through this non-traditional route.
Don’t underestimate the importance of interpersonal skills in management. I see a lot of EMs get stuck at their level for years. I suspect part of the reason is their breadth is too narrow. They don’t see the big picture because they never interacted with external stakeholders. It is risky to promote them because you don’t know how they will interact with investors and large clients.
With your background, once you do this for a few years, you should be on track for upper management.