[gravypod]

> start by taking on voluntary leadership roles such as mentorship, or running initiatives within your company (setting up an informal team to codify source code management practices, that kind of thing).

This I have been successful with at multiple companies. Often bringing a complete shift in development practices / headcount allocation strategies. I've setup multiple teams and initiatives at my current FAANG employer as an L3/L4. My most recent one was a library which is being used by extremely high priority projects with VP-level visibility.

> Make sure your own management know that you are interested in this path.

This is where I have been extremely unsuccessful. I explained that at some point in the future I wanted to be at the Director or VP level. One of the higher level employees that I was discussing this with laughed at me (she also did the same about my library and other initiatives only later to applaud when our VP thanked me for landing them).

My manager and skip level manager are advising to "take your time" and "you may not actually want that" and similar things. They say to focus on L+1 which I do understand as a priority but what I am really trying to communicate is:

1. Long term I'd like to be higher level leadership

2. I don't know if the skills I am learning right now will put me on this path

3. I want to in the short term work on high impact projects and in the long term build the muscles needed so that when I say "I'd like to be a director" no one laughs at those ambitions

[ldjkfkdsjnv]

Only advice I can give you is pick your team/company very carefully. Choosing the right team can open up promotion opportunities that other teams might not have. Half the battle is putting yourself in the right situation. Also, big promotions commonly go to people that have lasted a long time in some organization. I saw people at FAANG spend a decade in one organization, then finally get recognition and ended up a few levels higher in a quick fashion. The people you spoke to were laughing because the high ups probably got there very early, there is no path to their level because the cake is baked, that company doesnt have growth opportunity.