Developer career
Software engineer career: levels, salaries and roles
Software engineer levels from junior to principal, salaries, the engineering manager path and tools like headless CMS. Articles for developers who want to grow.
Start here
12 min read
Software engineer levels explained: trainee to principal and engineering manager
What trainee, junior, middle, senior, staff, principal, tech lead and engineering manager actually do, what each must know and how to move up.
Levels, roles and salaries
- 10 min readEngineering Manager: What the Role Is and How to Get ThereWhat an engineering manager does, EM vs tech lead, how to move up from senior engineer, what EM interviews look like, and sourced pay data.
- 7 min readJunior frontend developer skills in 2026: the checklistWhat a junior frontend developer must know in 2026: JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, one framework, Git, tests, plus how junior interviews work.
- 6 min readJunior to middle to senior: how developers actually get promotedHow to go from junior to middle to senior developer: the concrete behaviours each step needs, what gets you promoted and how interviews change.
- 7 min readSenior software engineer salary in 2026: US and Ukraine comparedSenior software engineer pay in Ukraine (DOU summer 2026) and the US (Levels.fyi, BLS), with sources, dates and what actually moves the number.
- 6 min readStaff vs principal engineer: scope, archetypes, path and payStaff vs principal engineer: how the two top IC levels differ in scope, the four staff archetypes, how to get there and what the pay data shows.
Headless CMS
- 9 min readBest Headless CMS for Next.js: Payload, Strapi, Sanity, Contentful, DirectusA sourced comparison of five headless CMSs for Next.js: hosting, licence, content modelling, editor experience, and which one to pick when.
- 8 min readWhat Is a Headless CMS? A Plain Explanation for DevelopersA headless CMS stores content and serves it through an API, with no built-in front end. How it differs from WordPress-style CMSs and how it fits Next.js.
All articles
9 min read
Best Headless CMS for Next.js: Payload, Strapi, Sanity, Contentful, Directus
A sourced comparison of five headless CMSs for Next.js: hosting, licence, content modelling, editor experience, and which one to pick when.
#headless-cms#nextjs#payload#strapi#sanity#contentful#directus
10 min read
Engineering Manager: What the Role Is and How to Get There
What an engineering manager does, EM vs tech lead, how to move up from senior engineer, what EM interviews look like, and sourced pay data.
#career#engineering-manager#tech-lead#interviews#salary
7 min read
Junior frontend developer skills in 2026: the checklist
What a junior frontend developer must know in 2026: JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, one framework, Git, tests, plus how junior interviews work.
#career#html#css#javascript#typescript#react#git
6 min read
Junior to middle to senior: how developers actually get promoted
How to go from junior to middle to senior developer: the concrete behaviours each step needs, what gets you promoted and how interviews change.
#career#javascript#typescript#react#http
7 min read
Senior software engineer salary in 2026: US and Ukraine compared
Senior software engineer pay in Ukraine (DOU summer 2026) and the US (Levels.fyi, BLS), with sources, dates and what actually moves the number.
#career
12 min read
Software engineer levels explained: trainee to principal and engineering manager
What trainee, junior, middle, senior, staff, principal, tech lead and engineering manager actually do, what each must know and how to move up.
#career#javascript#typescript#react
6 min read
Staff vs principal engineer: scope, archetypes, path and pay
Staff vs principal engineer: how the two top IC levels differ in scope, the four staff archetypes, how to get there and what the pay data shows.
#career
8 min read
What Is a Headless CMS? A Plain Explanation for Developers
A headless CMS stores content and serves it through an API, with no built-in front end. How it differs from WordPress-style CMSs and how it fits Next.js.
#headless-cms#nextjs#cms#backend#architecture