What helped me level up in Big Tech (that no one talks about)

Lessons they never include in tech job descriptions

Hi there 👋

I am Adlet, a Senior Software Engineer at Delivery Hero. You might not have heard of Delivery Hero brand itself, but it is the parent company of many well-known food tech brands around the world, such as Talabat, Foodpanda, Foodora, Glovo, PedidosYa, BAEMIN, and more. I was raised in Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 and am currently living and coding in Berlin, Germany 🇩🇪.

Just to give you a sense of our company's scale and structure: last year (2024), we generated approximately €12.8 billion in revenue and employ over 45,000 people worldwide. Advancing in your career here definitely requires a structured approach.

In just 3 years, I was promoted from a New Grad to a Senior Software Engineer at a large tech company, reaching that level by the age of 24. I was fortunate to receive outstanding mentorship along the way. However, I understand that finding such mentorship—especially focused on technical growth and career development—can be difficult at different stages of one’s journey. That’s why I’ve decided to share my insights on how I progressed at each stage, and what key skills you need to develop at every level, even beyond Senior.

I remember my first day as a junior engineer like it was yesterday. I was wide-eyed, nervous, and staring at a codebase that felt like it had been built by aliens. I thought the key to leveling up was just writing “good code” and fixing more bugs, closing more tickets. And while those things do matter, they’re only part of the story.

Over the years—through pull requests, production incidents, and many confusing 1-on-1 meetings—I learned something surprising: growing from junior to senior isn’t just about technical skills. It’s about how you show up, how you work with others, and how you think about your role on the team.

Let’s walk through that journey together.

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🍼 Junior → Mid: Learning to Walk Without Holding Someone’s Hand

As a junior engineer, you're often guided step-by-step. Someone’s usually there to unblock you when you get stuck, or at least tell you what to Google (now we can even say to ChatGPT).

Moving to mid-level? That’s your moment to start standing on your own. It means:

• You unblock yourself when possible (searching, docs, asking the right questions).

• You don’t wait to be told what to do—you figure out what needs to be done.

• You manage your tasks and timelines with minimal hand-holding.

It’s not about knowing everything. It’s about being resourceful and resilient. You start building the confidence to say, “I’ve got this,” and actually mean it.

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🧭 Mid → Senior: Taking Ownership Like You Own the Place

This jump is the trickiest for many people. At mid-level, you’re coding independently and delivering well. At senior, it’s no longer just about your code. It’s about the team, the project, and the outcomes.

Here’s what starts to matter:

• Ownership: If you’re contributing to a project, you care about it deeply. You fix bugs, improve docs, clean up tech debt—even if nobody asks you to.

• Courage: You speak up when something feels wrong. Even if it’s uncomfortable. If someone’s pushing code that will hurt the project (or making it even a bit messy), you don’t look away. You say something. Kindly, but clearly.

• Big Picture Thinking: You start thinking like a PM sometimes. “Does this feature really solve the user’s problem?” “Is this the best trade-off for performance vs. readability?”

You’re not just executing the plan—you’re shaping it.

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🚀 Beyond Senior: Becoming a Force for Change

Now we’re getting into the really advanced stuff. I am still in my Senior position, but I would like to share my observations about the next levels.

This isn’t about title inflation. Beyond “senior” doesn’t always mean “staff” or “principal.” It’s more of a mindset.

At this level, you're no longer just part of the system—you’re helping to design and evolve it. That means:

• Driving broad initiatives: You spot a systemic issue and rally people around fixing it. Maybe it's improving testing culture, modernization of the deployment pipeline, or mentoring new hires at scale. At scale. This is the most important. Driving some initiatives at scale.

• Influence without authority: People listen to you—not because they report to you, but because your ideas make sense and you’ve built trust. Building trust takes time. It's also about building strong relationships, not just about tech.

• Legacy thinking: You ask yourself, “What am I building here that will last beyond my time on this team, on this department?”

It’s less about the code you write, and more about the impact you enable.

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So… Where Are You on This Journey?

You don’t level up just because time passes. You grow by being intentional—by noticing where you are, what’s expected next, and where you can stretch.

Here’s a simple self-check:

• Am I asking for help every time I get stuck, or trying to self-unblock first?

• Do I treat the project like it’s my responsibility to make it succeed?

• Have I ever pushed back on something that felt wrong, even if it was awkward?

• Am I helping others level up, not just myself?

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Final Thoughts

In Big Tech, titles can be confusing and inconsistent. But the behaviors behind them? Those are surprisingly universal.

If you’re early in your career, don’t stress about “getting promoted.” Focus on learning, growing, and showing up as someone your team can count on.

If you’re mid-level, start stretching into ownership. People notice when you care.

And if you’re senior or beyond? Don’t stop. Be the one who makes the system better for everyone else coming up the path.

Until next time,
Adlet

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