StaffEng

Conversations with software engineers who have progressed beyond the career level, into Staff levels and beyond. We discuss the areas of work that set Staff-plus level engineers apart from other individual contributors; things like setting technical direction, mentorship and sponsorship, providing engineering perspective to the org, etc.Hosted by David Noël-Romas (@davidnoelromas) and Alex Kessinger (@voidfiles).

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StaffEng

Ashby Winch

October 19, 2021

Moving from an architect role to a product-oriented one might seem like a big leap, but there are overlaps between the two roles. Today's guest, Ashby Winch, has recently made this transition, and in today's episode, they share what this has been like. Up until recently, Ashby was an architect, with their most senior role at a large logistics operation in the U.K. Now, they have shifted to a product management job, and they are using the skills from the previous role for this new position. We hear about Ashby's diverse experience, how they came to work as an architect, and what inspired a career pivot. Ashby talks about the challenges they have had with having a loosely defined role and how they have made the best of this situation. Our conversation also touches on the relationship between architects and product managers, the importance of communicating context to developers, and advice Ashby wishes they knew earlier in their career. Tune in to hear it all!

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