Why is the path beyond Sr. Engineer difficult?

The path to continue beyond Sr. Engineer is difficult for several reasons. In my experience, the difficulty stems from how career progression typically works for managers. Many managers in the technical field will start as an engineer and then continue for 3 - 5 years in which they become competent to handle larger and more complex tasks. After that period of time, the avenue of management opens up and there are opportunities to move all the way up to CEO, a long and lucrative ladder.

As a result of this pattern, many managers only have personal experience up to the level of Sr. Engineer. Engineering takes both technical and soft skills to succeed. Managers need to be focused more on soft skills and less on their technical skills. This transition for managers can often become extreme. It’s normal, even healthy, for managers to step away from writing code. A good engineering manager needs to be strong in soft skills and spend the vast majority of their time doing that job.

The problem is that in many companies, the vast majority of engineers find the top rung of the career ladder is a Sr. Engineer and the only way beyond that is through promotion to management. As companies get larger though, more difficult technical problems will arise and the need for engineers that have more experience and deeper knowledge become more and more important.