I tripled my salary and became a senior director at Uber in 6 years. Here's the 3-step strategy I used to break out of middle management.

"I advanced from software engineer to senior director in just six years. From what I've seen in Big Tech, many middle managers plateau before they make it this far, this fast. After two software engineering roles at smaller companies, I joined Uber as a senior software engineer in October 2014."

"Two years later, I was identified as a potential for the management track and given additional responsibilities to learn, without a title change. I oversaw execution tracking and scoping, mentoring, project updates, and more. In March 2017, I transitioned to the first level of management at Uber, leading a team of five engineers in a single location."

"I now lead 530 engineers in seven locations, and I make three times what I made when I started here. I lead the Rider app and fulfillment platform - the real-time orchestration engine that determines how every rider request is matched, priced, dispatched, and completed."

Madan Thangavelu progressed from software engineer to senior director of engineering at Uber in six years, leading 530 engineers across seven locations. After two roles at smaller companies, he joined Uber as a senior software engineer in 2014. Two years later, he received additional management responsibilities without a title change, learning execution tracking, scoping, and mentoring. He transitioned to first-level management in 2017 leading five engineers, then advanced through multiple promotions: second-level manager in 2018, senior manager in 2019 overseeing 59 engineers, director in 2021 with 165 engineers, and senior director in 2023. His current role involves leading the Rider app and fulfillment platform. His compensation tripled since joining Uber. Thangavelu carefully considered the transition from individual contributor to management, recognizing the importance of understanding the role's demands before committing long-term.

Read at Business Insider