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Here is a framework for deciding your priorities and communicating them.
“How do I work on something more interesting?”
This is a common question I’ve received from friends and coworkers over the years. It’s especially important now as we approach sprint planning season when new tasks are created and delegated.
Being shouldered with unexciting work isn’t that uncommon. After all, as a junior engineer, projects are often sold to you when you have little context on the long term vision and probably even less context on your personal motivations. As time passes, you might develop a better sense of your own ambitions which may deviate away from your initial plans.
Broadly speaking, projects generally fall into two overlapping categories: work for you or work for your company. Tasks for you might help you develop better skills in a particular area that you’re interested in, or might just be easier for you to do and enjoy. On the flip side, things for your company might be to develop a feature before a critical deadline or doing necessary work that the rest of the team doesn’t want to do. Either category can also encompass things that aren’t strictly…
