You worked hard, learned a lot of technologies, and built your experience with challenging projects. You reached an enviable position in your company and team. Congrats, you are an accomplished Senior Java Dev!

Now what? What are the next steps? Many companies often pressure developers to take on management roles. It could be a path, if this is what you want.

But there are alternatives! This talk will discuss the 5 paths for developers to grow beyond senior levels. Specially for devs like you that want to keep focusing on the tech side. What are your opportunities, and what are the challenges you will face?

Come see how it is possible to focus on the technical side! Learn to build a fulfilling career and grow to the highest levels in your career. All while you keep loving your work!

Jfokus

A conference talk transcript covering five career paths for software developers who want to grow beyond the senior level. The five paths are: the people path (management/boss roles), the tech path (staff/principal/distinguished engineer), the community path (developer relations, evangelism), the independent path (consulting/freelancing), and the entrepreneur path (building products). Key insight: beyond-senior roles require different skills than senior roles, not just better technical skills. Common threads across all paths are greater responsibility, trust, and autonomy. The speaker uses James Gosling as an example of a distinguished engineer with VP-level impact without managing people directly.

Beyond Senior Dev: The next steps for the technical career, by Bruno Souza