Reflections from a Rookie Staff Engineer

Becoming a Staff Engineer didn’t dramatically change how I felt.

But looking back, there are two lessons I’ve grown to deeply appreciate—ones I’d like to leave here, for anyone reading, and for my future self.

Always Make Yourself Replaceable#

We’re often taught to build irreplaceable value at work, to make ourselves indispensable.
But honestly—how many things in this world are truly irreplaceable?

Being the only one who can do something creates risks:

1. Your manager may keep you there indefinitely
2. You might stop growing because you can’t take on new challenges
3. You lose perspective and miss opportunities beyond your current scope

Doing something well is one thing.
Designing it so someone else can do it—that’s another level.

Documentation, process design, mentoring—these aren’t just time investments.
They represent freedom.
They show you can reduce complexity, streamline workflows, and transfer knowledge.

The key is to intentionally ask yourself:

If someone replaced me today, where would I go next?
If I’m this easily replaced, isn’t it inevitable—if not now, then soon?

Paradoxically, embracing this mindset creates growth.
It pushes you beyond your comfort zone and makes space for new challenges.

Two birthdays ago, I wished to become
“someone who understands the world but chooses not to be cynical.”
That still holds true.

No Right or Wrong—Only Difference#

People love binary thinking: right vs wrong, black vs white, yes vs no.

As engineers, we’re trained to reduce things to logic.
But we’re not machines, and the world isn’t limited to 0 and 1.

Letting go of right/wrong judgment opens up—yes, cliché incoming—infinite possibilities.

Without needing to assign blame or defend correctness, we stop wasting time on emotional friction.
We shift from finger-pointing to problem-solving:

• What are we actually trying to fix?
• Why do we see things differently?
• How can we align for the future?

In that space—where “right” and “wrong” aren’t weapons—we get closer to each other.

From I May Be Wrong:

“Beyond ideas of right and wrong, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”

When we stop trying to control everything, we see our work—and life—more clearly.

Total control is impossible. Believing otherwise is, by definition, a delusion.

And yes, this is supposed to be a tech article—but the hardest part of becoming a Staff Engineer wasn’t the technology.
It was letting go of control.

Learning to Accept Imperfection#

When I first entered the workforce, I was the kind of traveler who planned every detail.
If things didn’t go as planned, I’d get frustrated.
The trip became stressful—because reality didn’t follow my script.

The tighter you grip something, the harder it is to let go when it slips.

We make every decision with the best information we have at the time.
When new information arrives, it’s okay to update.

No one resents a safe system update, right? 😄

So why tie our identity to past decisions?
Why let “being right” define us at work?

Some differences can be resolved.
Some don’t even need resolving. (Just whisper that part.)

So relax a little. (:

Being as Resilient as the Systems I Design#

Over these past four years, I’m grateful for everything—
the opportunities, the challenges, the growth.

And above all, I want to become like the systems I try to build: resilient.

If you’ve made it through this series—thank you.
I hope you took something with you.
And if you’d like to share it with me, I’d be thrilled.