28 Year Old Staff Engineer @ Google

Ricky (@findingricky) went from Junior (IC3) to Staff (IC6) at Google by 28. He doesn’t consider himself the best engineer, instead crediting his blend of technical and soft skills for his ability to land promotions quickly. In our conversation, we discuss:• Managing your manager• Finding good projects (and rejecting bad ones)• Imposter syndrome• Switching from IC to engineering management• Work-life balance—Where to find Ricky:• Instagram: https://instagram.com/@findingricky • YouTube: https://youtube.com/@findingrickyWhere to find Ryan:• Newsletter: https://www.developing.dev/• X: https://x.com/ryanlpeterman• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ryanlpeterman• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ryanlpeterman• Instagram: https://instagram.com/@ryanlpetermanIn this episode, we cover:00:00 – Intro01:08 – Promotion timeline02:34 – Junior to Mid-level04:24 – Finding independence10:39 – Mid-level to Senior11:20 – Learning how to say no17:26 – Senior to Staff20:18 – Finding next-level work23:42 – Transitioning to management33:46 – Reflections To hear more, visit www.developing.dev