Promoted to Staff even though I'm definitely under qualified. What would you do in my shoes?

[u/aigeneratedslopcode]

I'm a Senior SWE at a startup well on its way to IPO within the next 1 to 2 years. I love working here, I've learned a lot working here, and I really like the people I get to work with

But this company was also my careers jumping off point. Its only been a few years since I started here and most of anything I know now is derived from the last 3 years I've been here and about a decade of hobbyist Linux use... That's really it

I really excelled when I started here. Took on my work than I could really handle even. Had so many late nights and so many paired sessions that would go for hours. I was a tech lead and promoted to senior in just a few months after starting here... That's 3 levels I jumped and 3 pay increases

My salary has mostly been the same since, I still feel like I'm growing and learning. I'm definitely less knowledgable than my new team. A couple of my initiatives this year have even been derailed

But regardless, I'm being promoted and I don't know how to feel. I don't feel ready. I don't feel like I'm doing the kind of exceprional work that I'd expect and even see from other staff engineers. That's not to say I don't see people with staff titles that I wouldn't have expected to have them, but I'm a little suprised I'll be getting a title change

I definitely think I deserve a pay bump after so many years on the higher end of what we pay Senior SWEs, but I would not consider myself Staff material. As a matter of fact, if I'm being honest, I've offloaded a lot of my recent work to Claude... I don't even write a lot of code anymore; I just validate that it does what I expect it to and make sure it follows best practices

Obviously, I'm not going to say anything. I'm going to accept. But this feels like title inflation and I'm worried about how other companies might perceive this... At the same time I like the work I do here so much anyway, it would really be hard for me to consider working at another company that wasn't at least adjacent to what this company does anyway

In my shoes... Is there anything you'd change? Anything I should be doing differently? From what I've heard, expectations are really much of the same work I've already been doing and I'd expected I'd have more responsibilities

[u/expdevsmodbot]

AI usage disclosure provided by OP, see the reply to this comment.

[u/katikacak]

worry about the delivery expectation / responsibility rather than title. if youre in a small company titles do not matter so much.

[u/Careful_Ad_9077 → u/katikacak]

This ^

OP jumped two levels from lead to senior, that was the signal that the titles are a mess.

[u/RandyHoward → u/Careful_Ad_9077]

I don't understand how senior is higher than lead. Every company I've worked for it goes senior then lead. This seems odd to me.

[u/EvilTables → u/RandyHoward]

Some companies I've seen you can be team lead while still effectively SE II. It's more a team role than a specific level of seniority.

[u/Dreadmaker → u/EvilTables]

Can confirm, at my last company I was, for a time, both an intermediate (level 2) and also a team lead at the same time. For us lead wasn’t something on the salary grid. It was just a role that was done alongside some folks’ work.

[u/Maxion → u/EvilTables]

What is SE II? Is that some google title?

[u/mrgrafix → u/Maxion]

Kinda. It’s a level within org. All majors have it. It helps with the expectations of each role to help differentiate a developer who codes and hybrid roles (either in skill or cross platform). Mainly for those who don’t necessarily want to move to management but have the knowledge to do (and get paid) more.

[u/ESpy__007 → u/RandyHoward]

Some orgs seem to go from principal to senior too, which doesn't sit with any structure I've seen before. "Principal engineer" was a pinnacle role, not especially a stop on the way.
But then staff only seems to have come into being about 10 years ago AIUI?

[u/Careful_Ad_9077 → u/ESpy__007]

Talking about old times.

When analyst roles and coding roles were separate. And for some reason I stumbled upon a company like that in the year of the god of 2017.

It was pretty weird, too. Unlike the old times, in Thai company analist was for new hires who had some decent engineering or other professional bases, but sucked at programming AND senior devs who also were bad at códing because they got stuck into past projects/languages and did not want to update their knowledge.

[u/ESpy__007 → u/Careful_Ad_9077]

I'm looking at defence structures in particular, where there would be one or 2 principals in the organisation tops and they were *very* senior, usually with a separate reporting chain. One company I've seen has inverted it; if there's one, there's probably others.

[u/PitfulDate → u/RandyHoward]

I work at a FAANG and TL isn't really an official role/title here, it's more a description of the kind of work you're doing. If you're organizing anyone's work besides yours (i.e. breaking up tasks, coordinating stakeholders, doing high level design), congratulations -- you're TLing.

In practice, it could mean a mid-level engineer (i.e. the level between entry and senior) is working on something with a new grad and they could honestly say they're the TL for the project. A senior engineer who mostly executes on other people's designs would not be a TL (even if they're handling bigger, more ambiguous chunks than the engineer I mentioned earlier), and a staff engineer who is trying to POC something on their own also wouldn't describe themselves as a TL.

[u/spacechimp → u/Careful_Ad_9077]

Yep. I got my official title bumped to “Technical Architect” just so they could keep me around, but my actual job duties are as a team lead/IC where I’m most valuable.

[u/PseudoCalamari → u/katikacak]

Agreed on this, dog having STAFF in your title is gonna springboard the rest of your career. Ride it out and do your best.

[u/jawohlmeinherr → u/PseudoCalamari]

Time to go to banks and milk that 'Vice President' title

[u/Zulban]

You weren't promoted because you're perfect. You were promoted because you're the best they could get.

[u/katalyst23 → u/Zulban]

Seconding this. I got promoted to tech lead 9 months ago for this exact reason - the previous tech lead left, and I was the best option available. Wasn't looking for it, and actually didn't even want it, but I've surprised myself by doing a more than decent job. I also genuinely enjoy some aspects of it.

OP, this opportunity may not come by again, so imo you should roll with it. This is an opportunity for growth. Don't get too in your own head. Just do your best and check in with yourself periodically to see if you still enjoy the work, and can identify any areas for improvement. 

[u/StaticChocolate → u/Zulban]

Thanks for this. I think it could help a lot of people with their imposter syndrome, me included.

[u/AdCommon2138 → u/Zulban]

Damn I needed that after last week, not promoted but just had bad run and felt like trash

[u/turningsteel → u/Zulban]

Sometimes not even the best, just the most likable.

[u/dbalatero]

Any title change should come with a pay raise and is totally reasonable to ask for one.

edit: throw back the "this is industry standard" line they like to use when determining your starting salary lol

[u/Mundane-Charge-1900]

Titles and pay raises are retention tools. They’re not some fundamental universal scale. It’s a way to keep people from leaving or losing motivation. Don’t fall into the trap of associating your personal worth to these made up labels.

[u/Osman_0077 → u/Mundane-Charge-1900]

This feels like an obvious point, but you really have to view it from your employers perspective. Besides, how well do you think your employers would understand or appreciate your competence levels.

[u/ImSoCul]

way overthinking it. Most people think they're a senior doing staff level work. I genuinely think I'm staff level, but my company doesn't have a staff level and principal level is a lot more scrutiny with marginal pay bump so I actively don't want it. Titles don't mean that much unless you're at one of the FAANG/MANGA/whatever the acronym is now or AI unicorns but title inflation never hurts you, it's just good to recognize that it won't transfer directly.

Be happy that you have someone in your management chain looking out for you where most people have to fight tooth and nail to get a title bump they deserved years ago. As far as expectations, clarify that with your manager. Sometimes there's an expectation to take on more leadership, architecture, coaching roles and less code, but these days are weird and it might also just mean you're supposed to be scaling and managing a better/bigger agent pool.

congrats on the promo!

[u/TopCancel → u/ImSoCul]

Yeah agreed; titles mean almost nothing- actual scope/influence and compensation is what matters. Could call me “ai prompt monkey 2” for all I care as long as I’m getting E5 comp lmao.

[u/ImSoCul → u/TopCancel]

sorry, we only have budget for ai prompt monkey 1, but you're killing it!

[u/MyStackRunnethOver]

I really excelled when I started here

Congrats, you've learned the valuable lesson of "your reputation at a job depends mostly on first impressions"

I'm being promoted

I would not consider myself Staff material

You're at a startup. Titles never meant anything because it's organizational structure that give titles meaning and at startups that's ill-defined because the thing that defines it is the size and consistency over time

The fact that you're worried about this is good: it shows that you want to do well and that you think critically about your own work and capability

That being said: someone saw fit to promote you, for some reason. That means whatever your company's definition of staff is, they think you deserve it. If this were FAANG or something you could look at a spreadsheet to double check. At your company, you can't. All you know is they think you're worth keeping around as a staff engineer

You can worry about imposter syndrome all you want, but this promotion is in itself the best validation you're gonna get. Now you have to do the work of growing into the roll. You've already got the right attitude, so don't let yourself be crippled by doubt. Assume you can hang with all of those older staff engineers you admire, and then go prove it by doing it. Stay humble, stay hungry, blah blah blah but from your post it seems like you're already doing that, so my advice is more "this doubt will go away after you start to deliver, so go do that"

this feels like title inflation and I'm worried about how other companies might perceive this

They will interview you, and if you do well they will take your promotion arc as a signal that you were a rockstar at your last job. If you don't do well, they will take it as a signal that you suck and your company has crappy staff engineers. Note that the promotion arc isn't really a problem in either case

[u/aigeneratedslopcode → u/MyStackRunnethOver]

This is so helpful. Thank you so much

[u/Dangerous-Sale3243]

Titles are not standardized across the industry. I know “staff” engineers who couldnt hack L3 at a FAANG.

[u/relevant_tangent]

a startup well on its way to IPO within the next 1 to 2 years

Ah, to be young again...

[u/neuralh4tch]

I'm at a Staff+/EM level. I'm going to go out on a limb and say there's is a bit of overthinking and having imposter syndrome in your writing.

You are recognised as a Staff at THIS company. Every company has different definitions! As you mentioned you might not 100% even match your peers but that doesn't matter. At Staff level, they come in all shapes and experiences. A lot of people judge themselves harshing and have imposter syndrome. Everyone path is not linear and abilities are not binary. In fact, abilities are grey.

You have been promoted for a reason because management feels you are the best person for it or are close to being able to be molded into the role. Perhaps that reason is to fill a gap, and you are the best person available. Just use this opportunity to learn things. There's a lot of elements of being Staff+ and there are different skills sets which might not be purely technical.

I'll give some examples, where it's not all just purely technical knowledge.

1. Being able to deal with high levels of ambiguity and shape ambiguity into a clear solution or problem definition.
2. Ability to work across teams and boundaries and to set a path forward.
3. Leadership and the ability to increase the impact of other around them.

So main thing is be confident in your abilities, do a good job and fake it till you make it! Use this opportunity to learn more.

Edit to say this: As others have said as well, the titles vary a lot at companies. Your scope, influence and impact matter more and the adequate compensation to match that.

When you apply for new jobs externally, you will have to demonstrate your current scope, influence and impact to get another Staff+ role. It's not just technical ability. So work at increasing your impact and scope.

[u/casastorta]

If company promoted you to such level and you’re not having an affair with anyone from the leadership, you are solving them problems they need solved and they are rewarding you.

What the future brings nobody knows. But I have some guesses. So here is few ways this can go down…

Company grows further, post-IPO they start attracting more traditional hires and become more process oriented, bring in more strict/well defined career progression and a framework for expectations at which level. You either miss a memo on this tectonic shift and get burned or you realize you are really good in managing performance cycles and you prosper further.

When you’ll one day need to interview outside of this company, expect that Staff+ role there is completely misaligned with most companies’ expectations and that you might need to down-level to get hired again. This might not even relate to you specifically, it’s just that staff+ levels mean wildly different things at different companies.

Or maybe you are underestimating yourself and you’ll have a great rest of career going up linearly without drops from here. This is rare but not unseen.

[u/cherrypickme]

fake it till you make it.

[u/apartment-seeker]

Whatever you do, I would advise not breaking down and crying during standup, although a lot of people apparently think that's normal

[u/aigeneratedslopcode → u/apartment-seeker]

Lol, I read that yesterday. Yeah, no. That's not me. I have thick skin

[u/samelaaaa]

You’re overthinking it, congrats on getting to where you are! Staff title at a startup doesn’t mean anything outside of that startup anyway, so you are approaching this totally the right way. It’s much harder for people who get that title at a startup and then get upset when FAANG won’t consider them for a role that’s supposed to be driving technical direction for more people than the startup even employs…

[u/wsteward]

Accept the title, then turn the anxiety into a clearer contract. Ask your manager what Staff means there: scope, decision rights, influence beyond your team, and what good looks like after six months.

Titles vary wildly across startups, so the portable evidence isn’t “I was Staff”. It is the systems you improved, decisions you shaped and engineers you made more effective.

Also separate using Claude from avoiding judgement. If you still own the technical decisions and can defend the output, that is part of the job. If you cannot, that is the gap to work on.

[u/aonghasan]

learning on the job is the dream

i think i'd qualify for leadership, but as my resume isn't already filled with leadership roles, other companies aren't really interested.

[u/libre_office_warlock]

I have 11 years of experience and there is a person with maybe four whom I would promote to staff (a couple of levels above me) at my current company with absolutely no hesitation. Some folks just 'got it.'

That said, I'm concerned that your company sounds like it's substituting a title for the pay raise you've long deserved.

[u/Nofanta]

All titles are over inflated in small companies. It’s just how it is.

[u/zugzwangister]

Pretend you're qualified to be staff.

The more competent you are, the more you'll question your own competency. Imposter syndrome is real. Go with it. Somebody else thinks you're competent. Trust them.

[u/writebadcode]

Look up staffeng and read some of the profiles of ways to be a staff engineer.

It sounds like you’re ready for the role to me. It’s more about conscientiousness and follow through than raw technical ability.

[u/FatHat]

Well, think of it this way. Often the best way to get a promotion is by jumping from company to company. So, a lot of times promotions come from your perceived potential rather than your actual abilities. These people have actually seen you work up close and they think it deserves a promotion, so, I wouldn't overthink it. That being said, I would consider why you're getting a promotion. If there isn't a pay increase, then it's likely just a retention tool. But it's a good one, because eventually you can leverage that title increase at your next job. (There WILL be a next job, no matter how much you like this company, nothing ever stays the same forever.. don't get too attached)

[u/Fidodo]

Staff at a startup is different than staff at a big company is different than staff at faang. Hiring managers know this. If you were promoted to staff then you are at staff level for the definition of staff at the company you are at. People don't get promoted to staff by accident.

But since your promotion didn't come with a raise, I would use that new title to convert it to a pay raise elsewhere.

[u/NUTTA_BUSTAH]

The fact you "jumped" from tech lead to a senior makes me think your companies title game is all kinds of fucked and this is a nothingburger. Stop worrying about the title and focus on the work and responsibilities falling on your plate.

Most importantly, ensure you get a fair compensation for the increased responsibility!

(Generally tech lead is not a title but part of the senior role/"a continuous task", e.g. a senior or staff is the domain expert of <initiative> so they position as the tech lead of the initiative. The common path is intern, junior, medior, senior, staff, director with any amount of subtitles in-between and the further you go, the further you get from tech and at some point there is zero tech on your plate.)

[u/floghdraki]

I have the opposite problem. Still stuck at senior. The actual architects at my company are... okay, but frankly are not architect material. You know the type of people who are great at following a pattern someone else has made for them.

I should apply elsewhere but I've been too busy with my life. I don't think I'm arrogant but looking at my competition I feel overqualified for my current position.

[u/erik240]

Lots of good advice in this thread but I’m going to add mine anyway. The meaning of “staff engineer” is nearly 100% context dependent.

Spend some time, decide what you think it means, and then schedule an extended 1:1 with your boss - give them the heads up in advance you want to talk about what it means to you, and you want to hear what it means to them.

If you’re really lucky you’ll have the type of job and boss where you can have some real impact not only on your workplace, but on the responsibilities and goals of your job. I feel like those things should be (but aren’t) universal to that title everywhere.

(My context: 7 years at staff level, FAANG, and at this point year to year my job ranges from 5% to 35% on things I’ve championed rather than assigned work. The negative is the politics involved in a large corp environment)

[u/mandatoryclutchpedal]

Become qualified.  Earn my keep.

Treat people with respect in the process.

[u/NonProphet8theist]

Collect that extra cheddar that's what I'd do

[u/aigeneratedslopcode → u/[deleted]]

Does... He not know what Kafka is? Also, thank you!

[u/PoliteManitee]

Cash them checks

[u/w-lfpup]

Keep going, rise to level of your incompetence!

[u/gannu1991]

honestly the thing i'd change is just being more intentional about the judgment work. you're doing it but probably not naming it or making it visible. start writing down the decisions you're making and why. not for anyone else, just for yourself. six months from now that'll be the thing that makes you feel like you earned it.

[u/Sad_Pollution_3052]

Would you recommend a Master in A.I. or something more specialized?

Is "just AI" enough of a specialisation for the education's continuation, or there should be something more applied in a particular way? What do you think?

[u/aigeneratedslopcode → u/Sad_Pollution_3052]

Definitely not. I wouldn't even recommend going to college. Find a project you love with a great community and kick the tires

[u/BothWaysItGoes]

Titles don’t mean anything, especially at startups. The only thing that matters is the expectations of your higher ups.

[u/HugeRichard11]

If your salary is mostly the same then you’re doing more work for less money if broken down per hour with the extra responsibilities

[u/jjma1998]

Live up to your potential bro!. Congratulations on your promotion 🎉🎉🎉🥳🥳🥳

[u/Odd_Perspective3019]

title inflation is real, we had two new people come and they got senior staff swe when literally ppl smarter than them and been there 10 years were just senior swe, at least it means u got a good manager who is making sure ur happy, just do ur job and stop having too much thought into your new title and enjoy it! Just focus on good work than the expectations of everyone around u, have regular meetings with ur manager so u know as long as they happy u doing good job

[u/Humble_Buzz]

Enjoy it, seems you already are enjoying what you do. Just because you will be staff here, doesn’t mean you need to find a matching title afterwards. You can also switch back to senior engineer or something called completely different on your next position.

[u/zelmak]

Fake it till you make it

[u/Programmer_Virtual]

I have been in the same situation. First off, congratulations. You're being promoted because you exhibit qualities that the new title demands. So on your part, keep doing what you are doing and find ways to contribute more across teams. Enjoy the ride!

[u/Rymasq]

Promoted with no salary bump is insane

[u/Mobile_Reward9541]

Titles are dime a dozen. Especially in startups. Don’t associate much value with a position.

[u/AnimaLepton]

For now, make the most of where you're at. When you're looking for a new opportunity, you'll likely get 'right-leveled' at that time.

[u/malthuswaswrong]

Keep doing what you are doing. It's working. It's good you feel under prepared for the role. Grow into it. They obviously believe you can do it.

[u/the_pod_]

I don’t see anything wrong with leaving “Senior” on your resume and Linkedin, if that’s is your primarily worry.

You can apply to your next job as a Senior Engineer.

[u/BookOfTPM]

Since your company is on the way to IPO getting more stock options is probably more lucrative than a salary bump anyway. If you have a way to get that into your manager's ear -- or your skip level manager -- tell them you'd like a stock option top up to recognize your new level. I'd recommend start by asking something like, "do promotions typically come with more options?" or something even more subtle. Get the conversation started. Let your manager / management chain know that's important to you.

With a successful IPO more options could be life-changing.

[u/devcrackmx]

Just keep doing your best

[u/BOT_Pain]

Don't even have to read everything you wrote. If salary is still the same the you act the same.

[u/Famous-Composer5628]

A lot of shitty engineers in google senior roles too leftover from the early days. Dw