I'm contemplating going for promo next cycle. Whether I would actually get the promo, I don't know, maybe the odds are 50/50. I think there is evidence that I can perform at L6. I'm currently leading a large cross-team project, in multiple aspects (helping engineers in day-to-day work while also establishing process and working cross functionally), while also influencing other projects on my team. What concerns me a bit is that I don't have great soft skills like public speaking skills and finesse in political situations and in managing expectations. I also see a bit of an uphill battle trying to break out of the box that is my own (10 swe) team and having influence at my skip's OKR level. In terms of comp I'm finding L6 a tad underwhelming. Last year my base+bonus+refresher as L5 EE was $400k including $150k refresher. This year, my rating might be higher (confounded by GRAD changes) so pay might be too. Whereas for L6 in the middle bucket it looks like refresher would be similar, maybe base goes up slightly. So I'm not seeing a huge urgency to get promo on that front. If I don't go for promo next cycle (mid 2023) I'll then need to decide whether or not to try at eoy 2023. I think it's inevitable that I get to L6 eventually. Although I like coding, it's hard to keep the blinders on and not pay attention when big decisions are being made in a conference room. Tbh there is also a bit of fomo or peer pressure as I see more and more of my college peers landing L6. I feel that staying at L5 while doing a mix of L5 / L6 work is an odd situation. On one hand, I'm proficient at the L5 work so can get a good rating. Otoh, I feel it might be hard to tie L6 work back to expectations which are based on the L5 role profile. What should I do? I'm in Geo in MTV. #promo
I was in a similar place as you. For me I didn’t value comp as much, and I was willing to get to 6 with similar comp and increased responsibility. I was constantly realizing that there were high level decisions that I didn’t get to be a part of when I was 5. I also feel that as a 6 there are more interesting opportunities for internal and external mobility. Yes there will become lots of politics and needing to influence the skip chain, but as a technical lead IC, that is part of the role. Your manager should also be able to help you get more involved here as well.
Thanks!
L6 refresher is 150?
160k for meets expectation for L6
There isn't much data on levels.fyi so I'm not very sure. Anyone know if my number is off?