Welcome back to I'm a Software Engineer ~ What Next? The podcast for devs figuring out their next move. Hosted by James Wilson and Matt Sinclair, we talk honestly about what it takes to build a meaningful career in tech.
In this episode, we tackle The Title Trap.
Matt and James dig into:
- How culture affects how we view titles (Australia vs UK vs US)
- What titles really say (and don't say) about your skills or impact
- Why some companies strip titles altogether—and what happens when they do
- Whether the only way to get promoted is to become a manager
- How to think about IC progression when the ladder isn't clear
- How to stand out without relying on your CV or job title
If you've ever wondered whether you're a "Senior Engineer" or just stuck in a system that defines progress by job titles, this episode might be for you.
🎧 16 minutes. Zero fluff. Tune in now.
⏱️ Chapters
- 0:00 Intro: title chasers vs builders, and why Matt finds it a red flag
- 1:08 How culture shapes titles: Australia vs the UK, and title inflation
- 3:25 Stripping titles: everyone is a product engineer or software engineer
- 4:54 Seniority vs function, ladders, comp bands and the nine-box model
- 7:43 What should you care about? Good people, good work, and what you've done
- 9:28 Standing out beyond the resume: a GitHub history beats "React, 5 years"
- 11:20 IC progression: Australia vs UK vs US, up to distinguished engineer
- 12:51 Is management the only way up? The engineer and manager Venn diagram
- 15:00 Do you miss coding? Local vs global effectiveness
- 15:52 Wrap-up: send us your topics
🔗 Links
🎙 Hosts
🌐 More from us
🎬