Article illustration 1

When a promising engineer joined Figma after a brief startup stint, they carried an unexpected burden: the memory of an inflated salary from a previous role. This psychological anchor distorted their self-worth, sparking years of frustration about their "L3" designation while peers advanced. As they write in a raw personal essay, "Instead of focusing on my contributions and the craft of software engineering, I fixated on the level and dollar value Figma assigned to me."

The Vicious Cycle of Resentment

The engineer describes entering a "death spiral"—constantly comparing themselves to higher-level peers while dismissing constructive feedback about promotion readiness. When management explained why advancement wasn't yet warranted, "All I heard was the ‘no’ and felt unappreciated." This resentment became self-sabotage, draining energy that could have fueled actual growth.

Breaking Free Through Ambiguity

The turning point came unexpectedly: "I said ‘f— it’ and gave up on getting promoted." By shifting focus from level-checking to solving increasingly complex problems, they experienced transformative growth. Engineering levels, they realized, map directly to ambiguity tolerance—the capacity to navigate undefined challenges without clear solutions.

"Growing means taking on more ambiguous problems... It’s like panicking treading water until one day you realize you’re navigating the same currents but are no longer exhausted."

The Core Paradox of Leveling Up

The essay highlights a critical insight: You cannot self-assess readiness for the next level because you’ve never operated at that altitude. Peers’ trajectories are poor indicators since true advancement requires grappling with unfamiliar complexity. The solution? Redirect energy from promotion checklists to skill development:

1. Embrace discomfort in problem-solving
2. Own increasingly ambiguous projects
3. Measure progress by impact, not titles

This mindset shift isn’t passive resignation—it’s active reinvestment in craft. As the engineer concludes: "The only productive path is focusing on the work itself." For developers navigating corporate hierarchies, this hard-won wisdom offers liberation: growth flows from engagement with the work, not the level doc.

Source: Leveling Up by an anonymous engineer