Career Path

Intro

The career path is a way to structure the professional journey of our Rocketeers. It is important to emphasize that we are a small company operating in a very dynamic environment. These factors lead us to structure a career plan that is volatile, flexible, and not overly specific.

It is crucial to understand that the protagonist of the career plan is the Rocketeer. Being the protagonist means to take charge of your career and development. Employees need to reflect on: What do I aspire to? What are my goals and aspirations? What can I do to evolve and achieve my professional objectives?

The fact that the Rocketeers are the protagonists does not exempt the company and the leader from responsibility in this process; rather, it shares it.

The leader is a facilitator and supporter on this journey. Their role is to ensure that career conversations take place, to support and guide the growth plan, and to provide feedback and suggest tools for the employee to achieve their goals.

For a Rocketeer to be promoted or to progress in their career, three factors need to converge: the Rocketeer being prepared, the leader agreeing that the Rocketeer is prepared, and the company having the need. There are no guarantees or promises of promotion, so be prepared for when the organization's need arises. This is the one factor that is in your hands.

Being prepared and constantly updated are key to career progression.

The Rocket.Chat Career Path:

Rocket.Chat adopted a model where both technical and management careers can reach the same levels. According to the company beliefs, collaborators can be very skilled technical professionals and be well recognized in roles and salaries.

Adopting the “Y” career path model permits the team member to evolve in the first career steps with a common axis. Then, after deciding, based on the personal objectives and company needs, the development path will be followed.

Once someone reaches a Senior-level role and wants to progress, they will need to decide if they wish to remain purely technical or pursue managing technical teams. Staff-level roles and Manager roles are equivalent in terms of base compensation and prestige.

Career Levels:

The levels represent the hierarchy of positions and indicate where a person is in their career. The difference in seniority is represented by aspects such as experience, level of responsibility, professional maturity, and the complexity of tasks performed.

Intern: An intern is someone who is currently studying and entering the job market. They have little experience and require significant help and guidance to perform their tasks and understand the business context.

Junior: A junior employee has limited work experience in their role. They need considerable guidance to understand the company’s context, how goals are set, and their role within the organization. They have low decision-making power and often need help to complete tasks. Junior employees typically work on tasks with lower complexity.

Intermediate: A mid-level professional has a solid track record of performance and shows professional maturity. They can work autonomously but still appreciate help and guidance from senior staff. They have some decision-making power and usually contribute to decisions about their projects or areas of responsibility, offering insights based on their experience. Their tasks are more complex and challenging than those given to junior employees and often need them to combine different parts of their knowledge.

Senior: A senior employee has many years of experience, performs their role autonomously, and carries a high level of responsibility within the company. They can handle the entire process of a task—planning, execution, and completion—without support or guidance. They seek input only to gain different perspectives and make the best decision for the company. Seniors are capable of assisting lower-level employees (mid, junior, and interns) and serve as technical and behavioral references for the team. The seniors might be involved in strategic planning from a company wide perspective and can lead important and impactful projects.

How can I progress in my career?

In order to support career development and growth, we have our Check-In. It is very important to use the performance evaluation process to make your career expectations clear, to exchange feedback and to build a strong Individual Development Plan to support your career growth.

There are two important highlights:

Don’t forget you are the protagonist of this process and you are responsible for it!
The company needs are one of the pillars of getting a promotion. This means that to be promoted, the company must require someone at that higher level or in a different role, with an available position or approved budget. The valuable tip is: be prepared for when the company needs it.