Underdog

For anyone still thinking about Staff Starter: I'm not going to create fake urgency. Here's the honest situation: The cohort starts Tuesday. I'm keeping it small intentionally because the value comes from real interaction, not passive consumption. If you join and it's not what you expected, I'd rather hear about it and make it right than have you feel like you wasted your money. If the timing genuinely doesn't work, that's okay. I'll run this again. Follow along and keep applying the ideas from these posts in the meantime. But if the timing does work and the only thing stopping you is "I'm not sure", consider that uncertainty is the thing this program is designed to resolve. You don't need to have it figured out before you start. That's what the program is for. https://lnkd.in/en5RpKmg | Questions: evalx.dev/contact-us

4 days until we start. I've been sharing what I know about the Senior-to-Staff transition for the past month. The response has been overwhelming. Hundreds of engineers have reached out, commented, and shared their own experiences. The pattern is clear: there is a massive population of strong engineers who feel stuck, under-supported, and unclear about what to change. The talent isn't the problem. The system is. Career ladders are vague. Manager feedback is generic. Review cycles are slow. And the gap between "you're doing great" and "you're ready for Staff" is enormous and under-explained. Staff Starter exists to close that gap. I can't coach everyone one-on-one. But a cohort program lets me bring the same frameworks, the same diagnostic approach, and the same honest feedback to a group of engineers who are serious about making the transition. If you've been following along and resonating with these posts, this is the next step. Not more content. Structured action. We start Wednesday. Join us: https://lnkd.in/en5RpKmg . Last-minute questions: evalx.dev/contact-us

A thought experiment: If your company hired an external Staff Engineer into your team tomorrow, what would they do differently than you in their first 30 days? They'd probably: - Spend the first week understanding the system and the people, not writing code - Ask "why" a lot more than "how" - Identify the top 3 problems nobody is addressing - Build relationships with adjacent teams quickly - Write a doc about what they observed and what they'd change Now ask yourself: what's stopping you from doing those same things? Usually: nothing. Except that it feels weird to act like a newcomer in a place where you're already established. But that fresh perspective is exactly what Staff-level contribution looks like. Staff engineers periodically zoom out and reassess, even in systems they know intimately. They resist the pull of familiarity. You don't need to be new to think like someone who is.

6 days until Staff Starter. If you've been on the fence, here's a simple framework: Join if: - You're a mid-level or senior engineer aiming for Staff - You've been stuck or unsure about what to change - You want structured guidance, not another blog post - You're ready to invest in your career strategically - You want feedback from someone who's seen the pattern Don't join if: - You're early career and Senior is still a stretch - You're looking for a shortcut or quick hack - You just want a certificate on your LinkedIn - You're not willing to do the actual work of changing how you operate I'd rather you join for the right reasons or not at all. This program works when people show up ready to be honest about their gaps and committed to closing them. If that's you, I'd love to work with you. https://lnkd.in/en5RpKmg + https://lnkd.in/eQsDHCWP

I’ve Built An Audience Of Nearly One Million Supporters Across Platforms — And That’s A Blessing. But In 2026, That’s Only Half The Battle. The Real Game Is Sustaining Audience Excitement For Your Content. Algorithms Shift. Trends Fade. What Works Today Can Be Irrelevant Tomorrow. AI Is Powerful — It Can Analyze Data, Spot Patterns, Even Suggest What’s Next. But It Still Can’t Fully Predict Culture. It Doesn’t Feel Moments. It Doesn’t Create Them. That’s on us. The Goal Is To Stay Ahead. Keep Evolving. Pay Attention Before Things Shift — Not After. Because A Big Following Doesn’t Mean Much If People Stop Caring. #ContentCreator #DigitalStrategy #CreatorEconomy #SocialMediaGrowth #AudienceGrowth #ContentMarketing #StayAhead #Innovation #FutureOfContent #AIandCreativity #DigitalTrends #SocialMediaTips #CreatorMindset #ContentGame #ViralContent #EngagementMatters #BuildYourBrand #ContentStrategy #ThinkAhead #LevelUp #EntrepreneurMindset #MediaStrategy #ContentLeadership #NextGenCreators

The most frustrating moment in an engineer's career: You've done everything you can think of. Shipped great work. Mentored teammates. Taken on hard projects. Got glowing reviews. And yet: "Not quite there yet." You ask what to change. The answer is some variation of "keep doing what you're doing, just... more." More what? More impact? More scope? More visibility? They can't tell you specifically. Because often, they're not entirely sure either. This is the moment where most engineers either: a) Get frustrated and leave for another company b) Keep doing the same thing and hope for a different outcome c) Get specific about the gap and close it intentionally Option C is the one that works. But it requires an honest diagnosis that's hard to do from the inside. If you're in this moment right now, I built Staff Starter specifically for you. We start in one week. And the goal isn't motivation or inspiration. It's specificity. What exactly needs to change, and how. https://lnkd.in/en5RpKmg or reach out directly: evalx.dev/contact-us

Staff Starter begins one week from today. Here's exactly what you're walking into: A cohort, not a course. You'll be working alongside other engineers navigating the same transition. Real discussions, real accountability, real shared learning. Structured curriculum. We cover the full landscape: promotion mindset, staff archetypes, career ladder decoding, scope and leverage, visibility and influence, strategic thinking, cross-org leadership, sponsorship, and building your actual promotion case. Applied, not theoretical. You're not watching lectures about abstract concepts. You bring your real career situation and we work on it. Your actual ladder, your actual org, your actual gaps. Direct guidance from someone who's been on both sides. I've sat in calibration. I've made the case for engineers. I've seen what committees look for and what makes them skeptical. You get that perspective applied to your specific situation. Timed for impact. The program is designed so you can apply what you learn to your next review cycle. Not someday. This cycle. If you've been thinking about it, this is the decision point. We start April 22. Review the program and join: https://lnkd.in/en5RpKmg . Questions? evalx.dev/contact-us

I Got Asked A Question I’ve Never Been Asked Before… “How Has My Career As An Independent Content Producer Impacted My Wife & Family?” Appreciate Malcolm Harris & The Fellas At Chatt It Up Sports For Giving Me The Space To Speak On The Highs & The Real Challenges That Come With This Journey. #ContentCreator #IndependentCreator #DigitalMedia #ContentStrategy #EntrepreneurLife #CreatorEconomy #FamilyFirst #WorkLifeBalance #BehindTheScenes #RealTalk #LifeAsACreator #Sacrifices

Nobody talks about what happens after you get promoted to Staff. Here's what nobody warns you about: The expectations shift immediately. The day after your promotion, people expect you to operate differently. There's no ramp-up period. You got the title because they believe you're already doing it. Now you have to prove them right. You lose your excuse to stay in the weeds. As a Senior, deep-diving into code was expected. As a Staff engineer, the same behavior might get flagged as "not operating at level." You need to be intentional about when and why you go deep. Your peers change. You're now in rooms with Directors and VPs who think in business terms. If you can't translate technical concepts into business impact, you'll feel out of place. The ambiguity doubles. Nobody tells you what to work on. You're expected to figure that out yourself. That's exciting and terrifying. I'm sharing this not to scare you, but because preparing for Staff means preparing to succeed at Staff, not just to get there. The engineers who do this preparation arrive ready. The rest spend their first 6 months at Staff feeling like imposters. Staff Starter doesn't just get you promoted, it prepares you to thrive at Staff: https://lnkd.in/en5RpKmg