This is the story of how I became a Tech/Team Lead At 23 (As a non-millionaire)
This isnt going to be an overly self-gratifying humble brag. I recognize that while this is a great feat for me, I sacrificed a lot of things, like my health, just to get here in a short amount of time (2+ years). Now, I strive to practice balance in every aspect oflife.
As you will see later, a lot of the work was internal. Stephen Covey, the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, stated that Private Victories always precedes Public Victories. You have to evaluate yourself, identify points of improvement, apply an action plan, andrepeat.
Repeat this cycle of internal work and you will see externalresults.
Disclaimer: I use the terms team and tech interchangeably. Many people use it in different ways so Im going to go ahead and just throw them in the same box fornow.
Overview
This post is going to touch on what I call The Corporate Climbing Algorithm. It is my algorithm for climbing the corporate ladder. There are six steps intotal:
- Find out what makes valuable people valuable.
- Hoard experience.
- Upskill obsessively.
- Develop your softskills.
- Job hop strategically.
- Pay itforward.
The Corporate Climbing Algorithm
The corporate ladder oftentimes feels like an infinite climb. If you havent identified what you want your end game to be??youre essentially going to keep climbing and climbing until you figure itout.
Thats perfectly fine. Its hard to identify what you want out of your career early on. The more you climb, the more you realize how algorithmic it is. Like all things, there is a method to the madness. You simply need to find thepattern.
These steps are meant to be done over and over again because external factors like the job market, supply, and demand are ever-changing. Climbing the corporate ladder isnt something you do within the 8-hour workday. You do it in your sleep, as you shower, while eating, during vacations, andmore.
Step One: Find out what makes valuable people valuable.
How do you define value? Do you define it in terms of money and status or is it more intrinsic? Whatever your definition of value is, you need to start by naming a few valuable people.
Next, you must analyze these personalities. Identify the principles that comprise their value system that guides their every decision. Oftentimes, it is not the money or status that makes one valuable. Rather, it is the value system that guides them. Money, status, and other similar things are byproducts of their decisions.
Once you are done with that, you must take the principles that align with your value system and integrate the two. Use this newfound knowledge to help guide your own decisions so that you end up following a similarpath.
When you emulate other valuable people, be sure to take what works for you and leave what doesnt. Additionally, if a principle no longer aligns with your truth, do not be afraid to shelf it and moveon.
Step two: Hoard experience.
Its great to have the initiative to look for opportunities to learn. I highly encourage you to go for difficult projects, especially those whose tech stack you are unfamiliar with.
Experience is the best teacher. Using a tech stack over a few months will force you to think on your feet and at the same time gain valuable client experience. Additionally, as you take on harder challenges, you will develop the confidence to take on futuretasks.
When I felt my day job wasnt challenging enough, I started looking for clients that I could work for on the side. I used Upwork and personal contacts to get in touch with small to mid-sized clients who needed technical solutions.
So yes, I had a day job and multiple side jobs at one point. Now, in the name of work-life balance, I made a promise to myself to only work on at most two side jobs. However, working multiple side jobs helped me build my portfolio at an accelerated speed.
Its basic math. If you have a side project that lasts 2 months at a time, in one year you will have 6 projects under your belt??not counting the projects you will be assigned to in your day job. Compare that to a person with a similar role and tenure who will likely work on just 13 projects ayear.
Be careful with this. I have been to the ER four times in one year because of stress. Health is extremely important and you should always put that above everything else.
Step three: Upskill obsessively.
If you have a naturally curious mind and you tend to absorb information like a sponge then that is a tell-tale sign that you will succeed in tech. Remember, nothing in tech is permanent.
The best practices of today might not be the best practices of tomorrow. Hence, upskilling is necessary. You have to constantly learn to stay competitive in this field. In a way, yes, tech is a meritocracy. The more you know, the more valuable youare.
Take advantage of free education. If your company is encouraging you to go on and get certified, take the opportunity. This doesnt only help the company but it helps you aswell.
Trust me, when I got my certificate, my LinkedIn inbox was filled to the brim. You instantly become more valuable and you get to enjoy the power of choosing which company you would like to work for. In short, certificates =options.
Step four: Develop your softskills.
One of my supervisors once told me: There are a lot of technically sound people out there. However, there are not a lot of technically sound people who are also leadership material,
So, how do you mold yourself into being leadership material? Four words. Learn how to sell. I dont just mean selling products like an old-school door-to-door salesman. I mean selling ideas, concepts, and yourself.
Why? Well, we sell every day! When we are at job interviews, we are selling the idea of the company hiring us. When you are presenting your technical architecture, you are selling your solution to your client/boss. When you are courting a romantic interest, you are selling the idea of being theirlover.
Many people have a negative connotation about selling. They imagine suited men with evil grins, itchy fingers, and money on their minds. Many salesmen are indeed in it for themselves. However, true selling involves:
- Listening to the client from a place of compassion
- Understanding theirneeds
- Prescribing a solution to theirproblem
- Handling their objections
- Closing thesale
You listen to the client to understand their needs. Then, you prescribe a solution to their problem while handling their objections. After all, is said and done, you respectfully close thesale.
All of this is completely ethical as long as you are coming from a place of empathy, honesty, and concern. To be a great salesman, you must genuinely care about the welfare of your client. In short, do not sell them something you know they do notneed!
However, to be a great salesman, you have to have the right soft skills. First of all, you must learn empathy. You have to care about people other than yourself. You need to see the value and beauty of human life because then you would feel compelled to go out and helppeople.
Next, you have to learn communication. Use your words! How are people supposed to know that you have a great idea for a solution if you keep it to yourself? You dont even need to be a natural chatter mouth. Some of the best communicators I know are introverts.
The fact of the matter is, successful people, know how to deal with difficult people. Many people lose out on opportunities because they dont know how to deal with difficult people. 90% of the people you will work with will have a degree of difficulty with them and theres that small 10% that you effortlessly get alongwith.
You must adapt to every kind of personality, learn the art of negotiation, and become a skilled diplomat. You must know howto:
- Organize people towards agoal.
- Take a personal interest in the development of the people aroundyou.
- Deal with difficult people from a place ofempathy.
- Diffuse conflict both within yourself and inothers.
Step five: Job hop strategically.
Once you have invested enough in yourself, you should be self-aware enough to know what youre good at. What I did was I changed companies around 3 times in 2 years. Job hopping is normally frowned upon but in an industry where an average tech person is valuable, an excellent tech person is invaluable.
Hence, if you are good at what you do, most companies wont mind the frequent job hops. The key here is to always negotiate for a salary that is 100% more than what you are currently earning. That way, your salary will increase exponentially with every hop??and remember, youre aiming to hop once peryear!
You will know when its time to stop hopping when your salary is big enough that you want to keep it asecret.
Step six: Pay itforward.
No one ever succeeds without the help and support of others. Remember, you are where you are now likely because someone else helped you get that spot. Be thankful for the mentor that saw your potential, the parent/s that raised you, the friends that held your hand in dark times, and strangers who were kind enough to treat you like a humanbeing.
Be a mentor that sees and rewards others potential.
Be a caregiver that asks no reward for liftingothers.
Be the friend that never hesitates to listen and understand.
Be a stranger who sees others as human beings with rich innerlives.
Conclusion
Cool things about being a TL at23:
- The money.
- The recognition.
- The feeling of stability.
Not-so-cool things about being a TL at23:
- The constant struggle to maintain balance in every area of yourlife.
- Your health will suffer if you do not keep yourself incheck.
Before you decide to follow the same path, consider all angles. Ask yourself over and over again: Is this what you trulywant?
If the answer is no, thats fine. Go forth and find your happiness.
If the answer is yes, then you know what todo.
How Do You Become a Tech/Team Lead At 23 Years Old? was originally published in Startup Stash on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
