The many paths to success in tech: Insights from industry experts

There's no single right way to build a career in tech. Some people stay hands-on with technical work for decades. Others shift into leadership, managing teams or entire organizations. Some stumble into entrepreneurship through a problem they couldn’t ignore. The reality is that careers in tech are shaped by personal motivations, unexpected opportunities, and a lot of trial and error.

In this post, four industry veterans share their journeys — how they navigated challenges, made career pivots, and built meaningful careers in different roles. Their experiences show that success isn’t about following a rigid path but about making deliberate choices based on what excites you and where you can have the most impact.

1. What drives a founder? 

Sophie Novati never planned to start a company. She was working at Facebook and later at Nextdoor, struggling to hire mobile engineers. At the same time, she was frustrated by how difficult it was for women and people from underrepresented backgrounds to break into tech. She wasn’t thinking about founding a business — she was just trying to solve a problem.

As she looked deeper into the issue, she realized she wasn’t alone. Many founders she met had a similar story — years spent wrestling with a problem before realizing they could build something to fix it. Sophie noticed that founders tend to fall into two categories: those who are mission-driven and those who are motivated by financial success. Most are a mix of both.

Her first attempt to tackle the problem was BuildSchool, a training program where companies paid for students to build real products, making education free for learners. The idea was exciting, but the business model wasn’t sustainable. Still, BuildSchool wasn’t a failure — it introduced Sophie to the startup world, connected her with other founders, and helped her think bigger.

That experience led her to start Formation, a structured, AI-powered technical interview prep program designed to help engineers break into tech at scale. Speaking of the experience of being a founder, she says, "No two years — or even two weeks — are ever the same," It’s been a journey full of mistakes and wins, each one shaping her understanding of what it really means to be a founder.

Key Takeaways:

• Early projects may not always succeed, but they can open new doors.
• Some of the best companies start with a personal problem that needs solving.
• Diving deep into an issue can lead to unexpected career opportunities.

2. The transition from engineer to manager

Mitali Gala spent the first few years of her career as an engineer before transitioning into management. As the teams grew, she naturally took on more responsibility. By her fourth year in tech, she was leading a project team of eight.

Her biggest challenge? Letting go. "As an IC, you’re used to just jumping in and doing the work," she explains. "But as a manager, your job is to make sure the right people are doing it — and that they have the support they need."

This mindset shift wasn’t easy. She had to balance the immediate needs of her team with long-term business goals while making sure each engineer had opportunities to grow. "If you make the wrong call, it can mean a missed deadline, frustrated teammates, or an unmanageable workload. That’s a lot of pressure."

When she started managing managers, things got even more complicated. "It’s like playing a giant game of telephone," she says. "The more layers of communication, the easier it is for things to get lost in translation."

Despite the challenges, she loves the impact she has as a manager. "You get to shape a team’s success. You’re creating an environment where people can do their best work. That’s really rewarding."

Key takeaways:

• Becoming a manager means shifting from doing the work to enabling others.
• Communication challenges multiply when managing managers. Communicating well is a core tenant of success.
• Leadership is about balancing business goals with team and individual success.

3. Finding your place as an engineer: The individual contributor path

Michael Novati never felt the need to become a manager. He loves the deep technical work and problem-solving that comes with being an individual contributor (IC). "I get to focus on every little detail, go to bed thinking about problems, and wake up ready to code. That’s what keeps me excited."

At Facebook, he focused on refactoring outdated frameworks and improving internal tools. One of his biggest projects involved redesigning accounts and profiles for Messenger for Kids, a complex challenge that required balancing security, usability, and legal compliance. He moved fast, iterating daily with direct feedback from Mark Zuckerberg.

His hardest career milestone was getting promoted from Staff Engineer to Principal (E6 to E7). "At that level, you need company-wide impact and a skill set very few people have." He made his mark by spearheading major refactoring efforts, removing outdated frameworks, and creating the Good Code Society to recognize engineers improving internal systems.

"A lot of people think ICs have to be highly visible team leaders to grow. That’s not true. You can have massive impact just by writing great code and improving systems."

Key takeaways:

• You don’t have to be a manager to advance your career.
• Large-scale technical improvements often go unnoticed but have huge long-term value.
• Being passionate about your work can drive a fulfilling IC career.

4. The Tech Lead: Balancing technical vision and execution

Daniel Tomko has spent 25 years in tech, working at Microsoft, Facebook, and startups. 

His role as a Tech Lead requires him to look beyond the next release and ensure engineering work aligns with business needs.

One of his most challenging projects was untangling a complex, bloated system at Facebook that had evolved through years of small, incremental changes. While each decision made sense at the time, the system had become inefficient and difficult to maintain. His job was to untangle the mess and rebuild it into something scalable. The work took six to eight months, and not all of his decisions were popular. But in the end, the results spoke for themselves — the team grew from five engineers to 40, and the streamlined system made new product development possible.

"A Tech Lead is like a program manager but with a much deeper connection to the tech," he explains. "You have to understand the business, the customers, and the long-term vision to make the right calls."

His role also meant making tough calls — deciding which technical debt to tackle, which projects to prioritize, and when to push back on short-term requests in favor of long-term stability. Not every engineer wants to take on this level of responsibility, but for Daniel, it’s what makes the job exciting.

Key takeaways:

• A Tech Lead needs to think beyond short-term goals and plan for the future.
• Cleaning up technical debt can be painful but necessary for growth.
• Aligning engineering decisions with business goals leads to lasting impact.

There’s no one right way to succeed in tech

The beauty of a career in tech is that there is no fixed blueprint for success. Your career can evolve in ways you never expected. Some people thrive as ICs, others find fulfillment in leadership, and some build companies without lifelong dreams of entrepreneurship.

What matters most is recognizing the opportunities in front of you and having the courage to pursue them. Whether it’s solving a problem you care about, stepping up as a leader, or deepening your technical expertise, your career is yours to shape. 

Want to hear these experts share their insights in their own words? Watch the full Taro course for more details, personal stories, and advice on navigating career growth in tech.