The hottest Career growth Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Engineer to CEO in 3 years: These key lessons got me there

High Growth Engineer • 717 implied HN points • 23 Feb 25
💼 Business Leadership Career growth Startups Entrepreneurship Management
  1. Simplify your communication by sharing only the important details. It's better to answer the main question first and add more info later if needed.
  2. Look for gaps in your team or company where you can help. Taking initiative and proposing solutions can help you grow in your career.
  3. Listen to your team and find out what problems they face. Removing obstacles makes it easier for everyone to work better together.

5 Habits Of Highly Effective Data Engineers To Master in 2025

SeattleDataGuy’s Newsletter • 800 implied HN points • 20 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Data Engineering Career growth Technical Skills Project management Professional development
  1. Being proactive means solving problems before they become bigger issues. If you see something that can be improved, go ahead and make that change instead of waiting for someone else to do it.
  2. Make sure your contributions are visible, so people recognize your work. Share your successes and updates with your team and leadership to build a stronger reputation.
  3. Become the go-to person for a specific area in your company. Focus on something valuable that can help others succeed, and make sure to share your knowledge and support with your team.

Thinking Like an Owner: Elevating Your Data Team's Impact In 2025

SeattleDataGuy’s Newsletter • 788 implied HN points • 30 Nov 24
💼 Business Data Analysis Team Management Career growth Performance Metrics
  1. Data teams should focus on projects that really matter to the business, not just completing tasks. It's important to pick work that makes a difference.
  2. Understanding how your business works is key to finding valuable projects. Ask questions about the data to see what's impacting your important metrics.
  3. Shift your mindset from being a regular team member to thinking like a business owner. This means taking initiative and seeking out projects that align with overall business goals.

Attention To Details

Fish Food for Thought • 15 implied HN points • 19 Feb 25
💼 Business Leadership Management Personal Development Career growth Entrepreneurship
  1. Paying attention to small details is really important for success in any area. It's like sharpening a tool—you get better results when you focus on the little things.
  2. Using checklists and working with others can help catch mistakes you might miss. Teamwork and good habits make a big difference.
  3. Balancing big ideas with detailed execution is key. Great leaders not only dream big but also make sure the small steps are done right.

The Magic Loop

Lenny's Newsletter • 4559 implied HN points • 19 Sep 23
💼 Business Career growth Personal Development
  1. The Magic Loop is a framework for rapid career growth with five basic steps.
  2. The core Loop consists of doing your job well, asking your manager how you can help, doing what they ask, asking for work that aligns with your career goals, and repeating the cycle.
  3. Building a cooperative relationship with your manager through the Magic Loop can lead to career advancement and mutual benefits.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

When, why, and how to stop coding as your day job

It Depends / Nimble Autonomy • 11 HN points • 22 Sep 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Management Career growth Leadership Technical Skills
  1. Stepping away from coding allows you to focus on being a more effective manager. When you stop coding, you can better support and lead your team.
  2. Many technical leaders struggle to balance coding and management, often feeling they must still code to stay relevant. However, shifting your focus to team leadership is essential for growth.
  3. To remain connected to technology, take an interest in your team's work and continue learning. You can still engage with technology without it being the main part of your job.

Is Solopreneurship Right For You?

Elena's Growth Scoop • 2063 implied HN points • 21 Apr 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Product-Market Fit Monetization Career growth
  1. Starting as a solopreneur is like starting any other business, using skills from your job to help grow yourself.
  2. For solopreneurs, differentiation comes from specificity in knowledge, focusing on specific industries or business models.
  3. As a solopreneur, build a portfolio of monetizable services and explore advising opportunities for a flexible and potentially more rewarding path.

Unpacking what it means to be an interim leader.

Elena's Growth Scoop • 766 implied HN points • 22 Dec 23
💼 Business Career growth Compensation
  1. Interim roles offer flexibility for both employers and employees in fast-changing industries like tech.
  2. Finding an interim role may not be as straightforward as finding a full-time position, but it can be converted from existing opportunities with a specific focus or through a contract-to-hire approach.
  3. Compensation for interim roles should consider benefits, be a mix of cash and equity, and aim to match or exceed full-time market rates for specialized expertise.

The path to your first advising contract.

Elena's Growth Scoop • 1139 implied HN points • 26 May 23
💼 Business Career growth Advising Entrepreneurship
  1. Don't quit your full-time job to start advising, aim to close your first advising contract while still working full-time.
  2. Shift the narrative by creating your first advising opportunity instead of waiting for one to come to you.
  3. Focus on learning and experience in your first advisory contract, not just money. Iterate and analyze patterns to decide your future in advising.

Movers, Shakers, & Money Makers #2

Human Capitalist • 458 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
💼 Business Job Changes Industry Trends Leadership Career growth Corporate strategy
  1. Several notable professionals recently changed jobs, showcasing their expertise in various industries, like AI, space, and cybersecurity.
  2. These job changes highlight the importance of strong leadership in tech and data-driven sectors, suggesting that skilled leaders can significantly impact a company's growth.
  3. Monitoring job changes can provide valuable insights for investors, recruiters, and professionals looking to network or track talent in their industry.

Announcing: Re-launching "Impact through Influence"

The Caring Techie Newsletter • 9 implied HN points • 29 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Engineering Leadership Influence Education Career growth
  1. The course 'Impact through Influence' focuses on helping tech professionals build their influence without needing formal authority. It's great for engineers who want to lead and motivate their teams.
  2. Participants will learn how to build their reputation, foster trust, and persuade others effectively. The course includes practical exercises to apply what you learn in real situations.
  3. This re-launch includes new features like hands-on exercises and cheat sheets for every module. It's designed to make the content more accessible and directly applicable to everyday challenges.

Weak Soft Skills: Why you are stuck at the Senior engineer level

Path to Staff Engineer • 35 HN points • 04 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Communication Skills Career growth Professional development
  1. Soft skills are important for engineers to move from senior to staff levels. They help in communicating and working well with others.
  2. Mastering communication includes writing clearly, speaking confidently, and being aware of body language. This helps ensure your ideas are understood.
  3. Being adaptable and knowing how to handle challenges is key. Flexibility and good problem-solving skills are highly valued in teams.

It's not enough to be right

Pedram's Data Based • 31 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
💼 Business Career growth Organizational Change Leadership skills Workplace dynamics Effectiveness
  1. Being right is important, but it's not enough to make meaningful changes in an organization. You need to focus on effectiveness and how your ideas help the business.
  2. Career growth is about understanding the needs of the organization and showing how you can make a bigger impact. Instead of just seeking promotion, think about why the organization would promote you.
  3. Ownership is about being responsible for the success of projects, not just delegating tasks. Building trust and influence is key, as soft skills often matter just as much as technical skills.

How To Fast Track Your Career As An Engineer

SeattleDataGuy’s Newsletter • 930 implied HN points • 12 Aug 23
💼 Business Career growth Software Engineering Tech industry Data Analysis Career Advice
  1. Focusing on impact in your work can accelerate your career growth and lead to more satisfying outcomes.
  2. To have more impact in tech, run towards unsolved problems, be scrappy in finding solutions, and prioritize ruthlessly.
  3. Impact can be achieved by reducing costs or increasing revenue, and understanding how your work contributes to these areas is essential for career advancement in engineering.

Why Do You Work?

David Spinks' Newsletter • 44 implied HN points • 13 Nov 24
💼 Business Work Culture Career growth Entrepreneurship Mental health Personal Development
  1. Success can feel like a mountain made of layers, built from our experiences and beliefs about love and acceptance. Many people work hard because they feel they have to earn their worth.
  2. Realizing that you are already enough can be a powerful shift. It allows you to stop chasing external validation and allows a more authentic relationship with work.
  3. Working should bring you life and joy, not just security or status. It's important to focus on what truly fulfills you and aligns with your values.

What does extreme ownership really mean?

Arpit’s Newsletter • 176 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
💼 Business Career growth Engineering Leadership Education Technology
  1. Extreme ownership means taking initiative and completing tasks without waiting to be told what to do.
  2. Keeping everyone on the same page by proactively sharing progress and potential roadblocks is crucial for success.
  3. Extreme ownership does not mean working twice as hard, but rather taking complete ownership and ensuring delivery of assigned tasks.

Exciting Announcement: New Paid Subscription for The Art of Doing Technical Program Management Newsletter

Building Rome(s) • 1 implied HN point • 06 Feb 25
💼 Business Management Professional development Subscription Models Career growth Technical Skills
  1. There's a new paid subscription for a newsletter about Technical Program Management that costs $8 a month or $80 a year. This could help you grow in your career.
  2. Paid subscribers will get special content like focused guides, deep dives from experienced professionals, and tools to boost their skills.
  3. Even if you don't subscribe, free content will still be available, but you'll miss out on the deeper insights and exclusive resources that come with a paid subscription.

Avoid these Mistakes if you are Android Developers

Better Engineers • 19 implied HN points • 18 Jul 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Programming Languages Code Quality Career growth
  1. Avoid common mistakes like leaving commented code and using hardcoded values. These habits can help make your code cleaner and more reliable.
  2. Develop strong code review skills to give helpful feedback and improve your team's coding practices. This will also help you grow as a developer.
  3. Focus on scalability by breaking down large features into smaller tasks and using modern tools and concepts. This approach will make your projects easier to manage as they grow.

How we set salaries

computers suck • 176 implied HN points • 01 Jun 23
💼 Business Transparency Equity Career growth DEI
  1. Traditional salary-setting processes can feel like a black box, leaving employees with little insight.
  2. Transparency in salary information contributes to equity and equality in pay.
  3. The Skill Tree process at garden3d empowers individuals to advocate for themselves and others in a fair and transparent manner.

How I Transitioned from Individual Contributor to Manager -- Twice

The Uncommon Executive • 59 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
💼 Business Management Career growth Professional development
  1. Moving from an individual contributor to a manager role can be challenging, especially in product management where prior management experience is often required.
  2. Key factors for transitioning to a management position include being a high-performer, having influence across the organization, and the presence of a business need for a manager.
  3. Securing sponsorship, networking effectively, and identifying the right mentor or manager to learn from are crucial steps in transitioning to a management role.

Dizzy

The Weasel Speaks • 117 implied HN points • 19 Mar 23
💼 Business Career growth Reflection Self-Improvement
  1. Reflection is key to assessing growth and progress in both personal and professional life.
  2. Regular self-reflection can help differentiate exceptional professionals from mediocre ones.
  3. Taking intentional time to reflect can lead to learning, improvement, and a better understanding of one's trajectory.

Why I moved from Rails to Node.js

Implementing • 78 implied HN points • 10 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Programming Web Development Career growth Frontend Development
  1. Transitioning from Rails to Node.js can provide a deeper understanding of how things work by allowing more control over configurations and avoiding excessive abstractions.
  2. Opting for Node.js can bring more job opportunities and choices due to its market demand, especially in medium and large enterprises.
  3. Using JavaScript for both Node.js backend and frontend frameworks like Vue.js can empower developers with a versatile skillset and broaden job prospects.

My biggest leadership failure (so far)

Boots Too Big • 17 HN points • 15 May 24
💼 Business Leadership Failure Career growth Project management Self-reflection
  1. Feeling lost in a new leadership role is common, especially when transitioning from a different position with mismatched skills.
  2. Leadership roles require different tools such as clear communication, flexibility in technical design, and proper ownership of gaps.
  3. Learning from mistakes is crucial for growth in leadership positions, and self-reflection through journaling can help in being prepared for future challenges.

Three traits of the software engineers that are promoted fastest[Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 26 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Career growth Communication
  1. Top engineers integrate feedback to grow faster by seeking and incorporating detailed feedback, and following up on the impact.
  2. Top engineers prioritize their time by focusing on high-return activities and ruthlessly assessing what is worth pursuing.
  3. Top engineers communicate effectively by articulating the 'why', avoiding jargon, tailoring messages to the audience, and sharing updates regularly.

Jump!- Why Taking The Leap Is Your Logical Next Step

Kristina God's Online Writing Club • 159 implied HN points • 18 Oct 22
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Career growth Decision-making Life Coaching Self-Improvement
  1. Taking a leap in life doesn't have to be an emotional choice. It can actually be a logical decision based on what you truly want.
  2. Adults often overthink their decisions, unlike children who jump into experiences without fear. Embracing a childlike curiosity can lead to growth and joy.
  3. While there are concerns about making big changes, the rewards and opportunities that come from taking the leap can be incredible and unexpected.