My story of becoming a Tech Lead at 26
From Mid-level developer to Senior to Tech Lead in 2 years: my journey of rapid growth
I always wanted to be a Tech Lead
Early in my career, I realized I wanted to become a Tech Lead - though, at the time, my understanding of the role was limited. What motivated me most was the impact we could have as a team rather than individual contributions.
While the engineers around me were diving deep into the latest technologies and tackling more complex technical challenges, I found myself questioning the value of the work we were doing. I was drawn to solving team-related problems and taking the initiative to move things forward. When the Scrum Master left the team, I stepped into the role, initially just to have more influence. While others were focused on building new features, I was busy documenting the existing ones.
“To become a Tech lead you need 10 more years of experience”
So I had a conversation with my manager:
👩💻 I want to be a tech lead. What do I need?
🙎♂️ 10 more years of experience
👩💻 What skills do I need to develop to get there?
🙎♂️ More experience
👩💻 How do I get that experience?
🤷♂️ You wait.
Moved countries to pursue my goal
When I heard that, I knew that wasn’t the path for me. That night, I applied to my dream company. Within weeks, I had packed my bags, left my comfort zone, moved to Spain and started working as a Software Consultant in ThoughtWorks.
Growing fast into Senior Consultant
I quickly realized that staying comfortable would only slow me down. I actively looked for opportunities to mentor and coach others, both inside and outside the company. Whether it was guiding junior developers, speaking at conferences, or engaging with underrepresented communities in tech, I was always pushing myself to grow, while helping others do the same.
“I want to become a Tech Lead”
During my interviews at ThoughtWorks, I was transparent about my ambitions to become a Tech Lead. To my surprise, they didn’t just support me but they created a growth plan for me:
Worked closely with my Tech Lead to build key leadership skills
Took on increasing responsibilities within the team
Attended every leadership training they made available to me
Actively sought feedback from team members, managers, and clients to ensure I was growing in the right direction
“I can do this”
When my current Tech Lead announced he was rolling off the project, I immediately offered to step in. It felt like the natural next step for both me and my team because:
I was already preparing for jumping in a leadership role for a while: I took part in multiple leadership trainings, I was taking more and more responsibilities in my current team and outside of the team that required leadership skills: leading big initiatives that involved direct and constant interaction with the clients, growing other people in the company, being more and more visible inside and outside the company by presenting in different events.
Having been in the team for nearly two years, making me the person with the longest longevity in the team - so I had the most context on our products and technical solutions.
I was the most excited candidate and felt confident I could take on the role.
It wasn’t just me who felt this way. The leadership team agreed to let me take over, with one condition: ensuring a thorough transition.
There were months of preparation ahead, but I will share more on that next week 🙂.
Every Tech Lead journey is unique, and I’m always inspired by the stories of others. I’d love to hear about your experience! 😊
If you’re open to sharing, just drop me an email at anemarifiser@gmail.com.
Until next time,