The Terminal Software Engineer Level

In Big5: Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook, the software engineers are assigned a level so that they can work hard, and be promoted into next levels in the career ladder.

See this from levels.fyi

software-engineer-levels

The Terminal Level means that you can stay in that level comfortably if you enjoy doing so. You don’t get fired if you can’t achieve or progress to next levels.

However, some entry levels such as E3 in Facebook and L4 (SDE I) in Amazon, if you can’t progress to next levels within 2 years (or 18 months), it means you are not good enough and you will likely be dismissed for low performance. In Amazon, they will PIP you out (Performance Improvement Plan).

The SDE II (Level 5) in Amazon, or E5 in Facebook are good (terminal level) for engineers who do their job but don’t like being a team lead – or mentoring other junior SDEs. It really depends, some people enjoy but others don’t.

The Facebook E5 matches the level of Amazon SDE III (L5). However if you can’t progress to E5 from E4 within 33 months, you are likely to be disqualified for the job.

For Microsoft, the Terminal Level is likely to be 63 (Senior), for Google, it is L5 (Senior). Above senior levels, this usually requires a bigger scope which isn’t suitable for all engineers.

Usually, it takes about Six Years to progress from entry levels to terminal levels (senior).

Your line-managers will usually talk about the Personal Career Development (or Your Ambitions to Career Development) in your weekly 1-to-1 meetings or the annual performance review meeting. In Big IT/internet companies it usually requires filling quite many big forms in order to get promoted to next levels.

Software Engineering Levels

These software engineer levels are from levels.fyi:

Entry-level engineers are typically new graduates or those with limited professional experience. They work on well-defined tasks under close supervision and are expected to learn and grow quickly.

Mid-level engineers have developed proficiency in their domain and can independently handle most tasks. They contribute to design discussions and mentor junior team members. e.g. L5 from Amazon. E4 Meta. 62 Microsoft.

Senior engineers are technical experts who drive complex projects and influence team direction. They make significant architectural decisions and are trusted to deliver high-impact work. e.g. L6 Amazon, E5 Meta, 63 Microsoft. L5 Google.

Staff engineers operate at an organizational level, setting technical direction across multiple teams. They tackle the most challenging problems and shape company-wide engineering practices. E6 Meta

Principal engineers are industry-recognized experts who define long-term technical vision. They influence strategy at the executive level and represent the pinnacle of the individual contributor track. 65 Microsoft, L7 Amazon.

What is your career level?

Software Engineer Roles

• Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) vs Software Engineer
• What is the Enterprise Engineer in Meta? (Comparisions to Software Engineer Roles)
• The Terminal Software Engineer Level
• Software Engineering Companies: Which Company Pays Most? and Which Company Is Hardest to Get In?

–EOF (The Ultimate Computing & Technology Blog) —