Book · 2022
The Staff Engineer's Path
by Tanya Reilly
An engineer keeps taking on the unglamorous coordination nobody assigned her and has to decide whether that work counts as leadership.
What does Reddit think of The Staff Engineer's Path?
Thirty-two mentions, ten distinct account identifiers, no repeats visible in this data. Small sample, but a consistent one: r/ExperiencedDevs' ↑83 comment says it plainly, "yes, tanya reilly actually knows what she's talking about," ranking it above other staff-level reading in the same list. The devops mention (↑28) is a rare admission of being wrong: "I thought I already knew all the things, and I was wrong!" What sets this book's footprint apart from its sibling, Will Larson's Staff Engineer, is the range one commenter (r/cscareerquestions, ↑41) covers beyond career mechanics. Reilly's essay on women being asked to do "glue work" far more often gets cited on its own, separate from the book's career-ladder framing entirely. r/ExperiencedDevs' scored excerpts read positive, and even the lone cscareerquestions mention doesn't turn negative; it lands mixed rather than critical. Nobody here argues with the book, they mostly argue for reading it sooner.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Doing invisible "glue work" and whether it counts toward promotion
- · Tanya Reilly's essay on gender and uncredited technical labor
- · What "staff" means day to day without a management title
- · A companion to Will Larson's Staff Engineer rather than a rival
Common praise
- + r/ExperiencedDevs' ↑83 comment ranks it above other staff-level picks outright: "tanya reilly actually knows what she's talking about."
- + The devops mention (↑28) admits the book corrected assumptions the reader didn't know they had: "I thought I already knew all the things, and I was wrong!"
- + r/cscareerquestions cites Reilly's glue-work essay on its own merits (↑41), not as a book blurb; the underlying stat gets repeated because it holds up outside the book too.
Common criticism
- − Thirty-two mentions over four years is thin enough that a single enthusiastic commenter could be doing a lot of the work in this sample.
- − r/cscareerquestions' one mention is the only data point from that sub, so the cross-community read here is really just r/ExperiencedDevs plus two outliers.
- − None of the displayed excerpts push back on anything in the book directly, and the small sample makes it hard to tell if that's because there's simply nothing to push back on.
Who it's for
Doing the unglamorous coordination work and wondering if it counts toward promotion? That's the exact ground r/cscareerquestions' glue-work citation covers. Devops and platform engineers show up here too, not just application developers, which the sample's single devops mention (↑28) reflects. Read it next to Will Larson's Staff Engineer rather than instead of it; r/ExperiencedDevs treats the two as a set more than as alternatives. Already holding a management title? This one's framing assumes you're staying technical without one.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for The Staff Engineer's Path?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“No, but you will probably never rise above that level. Becoming staff+ requires more than just coding. If you are curious, check out the book *Staff Engineer's Path*.
“Get him to buy The Staff Engineer's Path, it covers these exact scenarios plus a lot more.
“I'm a seasoned backend engineer, sharing some resources you will find useful. ##### Books Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann The Pragmatic Programmer by Andy Hunt The Staff Engineer's Path by Tanya Reilly ##### Talks
“Regarding careers in the software industry, The Staff Engineer's Path.
“skip most of those honestly **actually useful for staff-level:** * "the staff engineer's path" - yes, tanya reilly actually knows what she's talking about * "designing data-intensive applications" by kleppmann - will make you mass more useful in system design than any "architecture" book * "an e…
“You'll likely benefit from reading this book, or at least skimming it and focusing on sections that stand out to you: The Staff Engineer's Path: A Guide for... by Reilly, Tanya (amazon.com) It really is a good book…
“The Staff Engineer's Path is quite good.
“Read The Staff Engineer's Path and / or Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track
“Tanya Reilly, who wrote The Staff Engineer's Path, has written about women volunteering to do work that aligns with PM duties more than coding - and how managers are 44% more likely to ask a women to do those kinds of duties Anecdotally many female…
“I know this isn't the quick answer you're looking for, but if you don't mind reading or listening and investing time into understanding this, I would grab "The Staff Engineer's Path" on Audible or something and get a deeper understanding than anyone can really put into a comment here. I don't think …
“The Manager's path is a classic. Great book even if you're not interested in management as there's a lot of useful info and insight. Staff Engineer is also quite interesting as there isn't a ton of material on the subject. I only found out about "The staff Engineer's path" from this thread so I'll d…
“There's another book which some people like better: Tanya Reilly - The Staff Engineer's Path.
“Recent books: * The staff engineer's path - I thought I already knew all the things, and I was wrong! * The field guide to understanding human error - truly excellent, and something anyone involved in incident management should read. Here's a preview:
“Lots of great advice given so I'll just drop two resources for further learning: Will Larson's "Staff Engineer's Path" is full of interviews and advice. The defunct, but evergreen companion podcast full of even more interviews from other p…
“Good question. I'm not familiar with books about impact and influence targeted specifically at mid-level developers, but I know a few for people a little more senior that I bet you could get some good mileage out of. - *The Staff Engineer's Path* by Tanya Reilly. Exactly what it sounds like. Basica…
Convinced? Pick up The Staff Engineer's Path
What else does r/ExperiencedDevs read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
Guides featuring The Staff Engineer's Path
Ranked best-of lists and editorial guides where this book's tracked mentions place it.
The Staff Engineer's Path — frequently asked
Is The Staff Engineer's Path worth reading over Staff Engineer?+
Reddit mostly declines to rank them. r/ExperiencedDevs' ↑62 comment recommends both together, and the ↑83 comment gives Reilly's book a slight edge in tone ("tanya reilly actually knows what she's talking about") without dismissing Larson's. Read them as a pair rather than picking a winner.
What does Reddit say about The Staff Engineer's Path and glue work?+
r/cscareerquestions' ↑41 comment cites Reilly's essay directly: women get asked to take on glue work far more often than men, a pattern the book's career-ladder framing is partly built to name and push back on. It's the one displayed excerpt engaging with the book's argument rather than just recommending it.
Is The Staff Engineer's Path only for people without management titles?+
Mostly, based on this sample. The book's framing is built around gaining scope and influence while staying technical, and the devops (↑28) and r/ExperiencedDevs mentions here read it that way. Nothing in the displayed excerpts suggests it's aimed at people who've already moved into management.