Hard Work Won’t Save Your Tech Career
Let’s kill a myth.
Hard work does not get you promoted in tech.
It gets you more work.
If you’re the person who always says yes, closes the most tickets, and quietly fixes messes, congratulations. You’ve made yourself indispensable.
And invisible.
The Promotion Lie
Here’s what nobody wants to say out loud:
Companies don’t promote the hardest workers.
They promote the people they trust when things go sideways.
That’s a completely different skill set.
Grinding proves reliability.
Leadership roles require judgment.
And if all you demonstrate is obedience and output, you’ll stay right where you are, productive, exhausted, and confused.
The Trap High Performers Fall Into
High performers are especially vulnerable to this.
They think:
“If I just keep delivering, someone will notice.”
What actually happens:
- You get shielded from bigger decisions
- You get looped in after choices are made
- You become execution, not influence
That’s not a promotion path.
That’s a holding pattern.
What Senior Actually Looks Like
Senior engineers don’t just build what’s asked.
They:
- challenge unclear work
- surface risk early
- think beyond their own tickets
- protect the team from bad decisions
They don’t wait for permission to think.
I Broke This Down in a Video (Because Text Only Goes So Far)
Watch: Stop Trying Be a Senior Developer - Do This Instead
If this post made you uncomfortable, good.
I explain why this happens, and what actually works, in this video.
👉 Watch it here:
https://youtu.be/if9nUIZvNBs
Lead, Don’t Grind
If your entire career strategy is “outwork everyone,” you’re not building leverage.
You’re burning fuel.
Stop trying to be impressive.
Start trying to be effective.
That’s how people actually level up.
Lead. Don't Ctrl.
