Developer growth guides
Guides to SFIA career levels and developer seniority: what each level looks like across frontend, backend, cloud, security, data, and more, with the evidence that proves it.
SFIA levels explained
The seven SFIA levels of responsibility, from Follow to Set Strategy, and what each means for a developer's career.
Fennec Editorial Team · · 4 min read
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Reviews, promotion, and career evidence
Software engineer self-review examples
A practical structure for writing an engineering self-review, with weak and strong examples for delivery, reliability, leadership, collaboration, and growth.
Build a software engineer promotion packet
A promotion-packet structure for engineers: target-level expectations, sustained evidence, scope, feedback, gaps, and a manager-ready summary.
By discipline
Frontend Engineering: levels explained
Building user interfaces, component libraries, and browser-based experiences.
Backend & API Engineering: levels explained
Building APIs, services, and the server-side systems that power applications.
Cloud & Infrastructure: levels explained
Cloud platforms, infrastructure-as-code, and the operational layer underpinning modern software.
DevOps & Platform Engineering: levels explained
CI/CD, developer experience, internal platforms, and shipping software reliably at speed.
Databases & Data Systems: levels explained
Relational, NoSQL, streaming, and the trade-offs in storing, querying, and moving data.
Security & Privacy: levels explained
Application security, threat modelling, and keeping systems and data safe.
Testing & Quality Engineering: levels explained
Building confidence in software through automated testing, exploratory testing, and quality culture.
Architecture & System Design: levels explained
Patterns for distributed systems, domain-driven design, and how to structure large-scale software.
Tech Leadership & People: levels explained
Leading teams, mentoring engineers, stakeholder management, and the human side of software.