Navigating Imposter Syndrome and Early Career Doubts at 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

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Where to find Ricky:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/@findingricky 

• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@findingricky

Where 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/@ryanlpeterman

In this episode, we cover:

00:00 – Intro

01:08 – Promotion timeline

02:34 – Junior to Mid-level

04:24 – Finding independence

10:39 – Mid-level to Senior

11:20 – Learning how to say no

17:26 – Senior to Staff

20:18 – Finding next-level work

23:42 – Transitioning to management

33:46 – Reflections