Stop Thinking Like a Junior

The soft skills that make you senior.

Most engineers stall after a few years. Not because they stop learning the technical side — but because nobody teaches them the other side: how senior engineers communicate, take ownership, manage their time, and make the people around them better.

This workshop is about that other side.

Run this for your team — get in touch →

What attendees walk out with

A clearer picture of what “senior” actually means — and concrete habits to start practicing on Monday morning. Specifically:

• A working model for the mindset shift from junior to senior — measured in outcomes, not hours
• Practical communication patterns for code reviews, status updates, and disagreement
• A framework for prioritizing work by impact, risk, and leverage instead of urgency
• Tools to push back, say no, and protect focus time without burning bridges
• An understanding of how to build influence without authority

It is not a lecture. Roughly half the time is spent on exercises, group discussions, and real situations attendees bring with them.

Who it’s for

Engineers with a few years of experience who feel stuck — promoted to “mid-level” and unsure what comes next. Engineers who are technically strong but suspect that’s not what’s holding them back. Tech leads and team leads who want a shared language with their team for what good engineering behavior looks like.

It is not a C++ workshop, despite my background. We don’t talk about programming languages, system design, or any “hard” skills. Those are necessary but not sufficient — and they’re well-covered elsewhere.

What we cover

The workshop is organized around seven themes:

1. Junior mindset → senior mindset. The patterns that get you hired, and why they stop working.
2. The human factor. What nobody told you about working with people.
3. Communication and code reviews. Reviews as the most underused growth tool in your career.
4. Does technical knowledge still matter? (Yes — but not the way you think.)
5. Thinking in systems, not features. How seniors see ripple effects and trade-offs.
6. Managing time and energy. Why busy is not the same as effective.
7. From growth to influence. How to scale your impact beyond your own keyboard.

Each section ends with reflection prompts and a short exercise. The workshop closes with attendees writing down one specific behavior they want to practice.

What people are saying

“Is there a better way to learn how to think like a senior than learning it from a staff engineer who has mastered these skills in the field? Sandor created a really comfortable environment where all participants could freely share how they approach certain situations as juniors. This helped us gain insightful experiences from him on how to transition from simply ‘doing what’s asked’ to ‘seeing what is needed’. The workshop covered many different aspects and was a great catalyst for faster growth!”

— Simon, Perception Engineer at Gravis Robotics

Where it’s been delivered

• C++ Online 2026 — half-day workshop, April and May 2026

Formats

The workshop is available in two formats, both deliverable in person or remotely:

Half-day (3–4 hours). A focused, high-energy session. Best for conference workshops or as a kickoff for an internal team. Covers all seven themes with shorter exercises.

Full-day (6–7 hours). Deeper dive, more group work, and time to apply the frameworks to attendees’ own situations. Best for company on-sites, engineering off-sites, or learning programs.

Both formats are tailored slightly to the audience. If you have a specific situation in mind — a team in a particular phase of growth, a company-wide initiative, a conference theme — I’m happy to adapt.

About me

I’m a senior engineer at Spotify and have been writing about software craftsmanship and engineering careers for almost a decade at sandordargo.com. I’m the author of The Seniority Trap and several books on modern C++. I speak regularly at conferences including CppCon, C++ on Sea, Meeting C++, and C++ Online.

The workshop distills what I’ve learned from my own path from junior to senior — and from years of writing, reviewing, and mentoring engineers going through the same transition.

Get in touch

If you’d like to run this workshop for your team or at your conference, drop me a line at sandor.dargo@gmail.com.

Tell me a bit about your audience, the format you’re considering (half-day or full-day, in person or remote), and roughly when you’re thinking. I’ll get back to you within a few days.