A safe anchor point for many senior engineers has always been technical mastery. You see a problem. You design some architecture. You work in a team to crank out some code. You build a complicated system, roll it out at scale, rinse and repeat. This is a happy place for many engineers. Naturally, you think in order to progress, the journey should in theory look something like this. You expect to be rewarded as you take on more technically challenging problems, climbing the ladder.
Learning how to fail: intentionally, reflectively, and repeatedly, can build the resilience and insight that long-term careers truly depend on. 👉 ​Read more​. Slack: The Accidental Success Story (Synergy Startup) What began as a failed multiplayer game pivoted into one of the fastest-growing workplace tools: proof that a collapse in one project can spark something far bigger. 👉 ​Learn more​.
Let's start with a story. Let me tell you about Alex. Alex is a staff engineer at a mid-sized tech company. They were promoted six months ago, after years of consistent delivery, mentoring teammates, and driving high impact projects. Alex has always been the go-to person from blocking gnarly tech problems. Leadership told them, you're exactly what we need at the staff level. At first, it felt great.
Workers feel demoralized due to lack of career growth and increasing pressure amid AI job transformations, leading to 'quiet cracking' and disengagement.
"While the one-third probability of getting picked in the lottery remains the same since I applied in 2017, the job market when I graduated felt better."
Pursuing a master's degree in finance technology, or fintech, engineering was one of the best decisions I've ever made. My degree allowed me to build on my technical knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of how emerging technologies are transforming financial systems.