---
title: Programmers, There's More Than 1 Way to Move Up
description: If you want to move up in your career, you don't have to become a manager. The best companies offer choices between distinct progressions for programmers.
image: https://pages.hackerrank.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/peter_principle-1.png
---

![](https://pages.hackerrank.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/peter_principle-1.png?width=800&height=634&name=peter_principle-1.png)

# Programmers, There's More Than 1 Way to Move Up

![Vivek Ravisankar](https://pages.hackerrank.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Vivek.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=Vivek.jpg)

 Vivek Ravisankar

March 13, 2025

The stoic, traditional career ladder is pretty much nonexistent in the world of software engineering.  
 The best engineers have choices: You can venture into the unfamiliar domain of management, in which your biggest challenge is getting all hands on deck to achieve an exciting vision. Or, if you deeply enjoy the art of coding, you can reach incrementally higher peaks as a distinguished individual contributor (IC). The truth is, there’s no real hierarchy etched in stone.  
 True success comes from playing to your strengths — not manager titles. There may have been a sense of prestige associated with a managerial position in the past. But, like any highly specialized field, developers can grow to become more influential and respected in their technical roles.

*Read the full article on [Mashable](http://mashable.com/2015/07/14/engineering-career-path/). *

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## Keep reading

[![](https://pages.hackerrank.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%20(3)-2.png?width=1184&height=621&name=image%20(3)-2.png)

Data

### Where developers work vs. where they want to work

](https://pages.hackerrank.com/blog/where-developers-work-vs.-where-they-want-to-work)

[![](https://pages.hackerrank.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%20(3).png?width=1184&height=621&name=image%20(3).png)

Tech Skills

### Top developer skills in 2025: momentum, not mayhem

](https://pages.hackerrank.com/blog/top-developer-skills-2025)

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