Born to Code or Sit in Meetings? Transitioning from IC to Eng Lead to Manager
15:10/15:50
By definition, it seems like a software engineer is supposed to write code. So what happens when a software engineer wants to take on more leadership? I found myself asking that exact question after two and a half years as an individual contributor at Strava. I didn't know if I wanted to be a manager, but I was eager to grow my communication and leadership skills. Strava created the Engineering Lead role for engineers in this position like me. After nine months in this new role, I transitioned to Engineering Manager. In this talk, I will tell the story of my journey through these three roles.
Language: English
Level: Non technical / For everyone
Jason van der Merwe
Engineering Manager - Strava
Born in South Africa but transplanted to Tennessee, Jason has three passports and an ambiguous accent. Now living in San Francisco, he is an engineering manager at Strava, leading a team that focuses on the early stages of the new user lifecycle. Outside of work, Jason loves to cook and has aspirations of opening a restaurant some day.
