---
id: engineering-levels
title: 🎚 Engineering levels
---

:::caution

This section is still WIP. Feel free to contribute ideas at [our GitHub issue](https://github.com/yangshun/tech-interview-handbook/issues/222).

:::

Understanding the various career levels for engineers is crucial because it helps to determine the compensation you should be receiving and also helps you to understand what is expected of you at that level. In most companies where the career levels have been defined, it would resemble something along the lines of: Junior → Software Engineer → Senior → Staff → Senior Staff → Principal → Fellow

## Career levels

### Junior Software Engineer

_Work in progress_

### Software Engineer

_Work in progress_

### Senior Software Engineer

_Work in progress_

### Staff Software Engineer

_Work in progress_

### Senior Staff Software Engineer

_Work in progress_

### Principal Software Engineer

_Work in progress_

### Distinguished Engineer

_Work in progress_

### Fellow

_Work in progress_

#### References

- [Software Engineering Salaries at Google](https://careerkarma.com/blog/software-engineering-salary-google/)
- [Dropbox Engineering Career Framework](https://dropbox.github.io/dbx-career-framework/overview.html)
- [Engineering Levels at SoundCloud](https://developers.soundcloud.com/blog/engineering-levels)
- [Every Public Engineering Career Ladder](https://www.swyx.io/career-ladders)
- [progression.fyi](https://progression.fyi/)