Biggest Challenges For A Software Engineering Manager At A Fortune 10 Tech Company
Sara's greatest career challenge, consistently faced across roles, is the impact of uncontrollable external factors— "economic, global context shift"—on long-term projects; this often leads to setbacks despite progress, preventing breakthroughs due to factors outside of their control, highlighting the unpredictable nature of "the world [being] always in flux".
Executive/Leadership, Overcoming Challenges, Industry Realities, Workplace Challenges, Resilience
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Sara Rahimian
Software Engineering Manager
Fortune 10 Tech Company
University of California, Berkeley
NA
Computer Science, Engineering - Electrical
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness, Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Honors Student, Immigrant, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Maintaining consistent progress despite external factors: Sara highlights that external economic or market shifts can disrupt long-term plans and impact project timelines, requiring adaptability and resilience.
2. Balancing vision with practical constraints: The need to navigate between ambitious goals and the limitations imposed by external forces is a recurring theme. This speaks to the importance of strategic planning and resource management in leadership roles.
3. The unpredictable nature of the tech industry: The interview underscores the importance of handling unexpected setbacks, adjusting to change, and maintaining morale while facing challenges beyond one's direct control.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role as engineering lead?
I would say this is kind of a generic challenge that I've hit almost everywhere I've been. Things will change that are outside of your control, like economic or global context shifts.
A lot of times you'll be on a trajectory to do a particular thing in a particular way, and then suddenly the company runs out of money or gets spooked because the market isn't good. They make cuts exactly at the time when, if you could just keep doing the thing for six more months, you're going to have a breakthrough.
I think the biggest challenge in my career has been that sometimes you just don't have the agency to keep a commitment. If it was up to you, a lot of things are out of your hands.
I don't know that that means there's anything intentional. It's just that the world is always in flux, and sometimes those things get in the way of wherever you want to go. In my field, people are very visionary and compelled to do things and have outcomes, so that can be very discouraging and challenging.
Having said that, sometimes you also get lucky and things work out beautifully. So it's definitely a two-sided coin.