# Being a senior engineer doesn’t mean you never need help > Source: > Published: 2026-07-29 13:46:11+00:00 # Being a senior engineer doesn’t mean you never need help The jump from mid-level to senior engineer is usually described as a matter of stronger technical skills. **Michelle Brenner** (Senior Software Engineer) sees it differently. Ahead of her talk at [Infobip Shift](https://shift.infobip.com/?%7CEU%7C-Shift_Zadar_2024-%5BTy:G_Brand_Search;Lng:EN;Bid:MAN_eCPC%5D), (for which you get a [special discount as a ShiftMag reader](https://www.entrio.hr/en/event/infobip-shift-2026-27033?pc=MAG15)) she argues that the real shift comes from **understanding the business**, making **pragmatic decisions**, and **knowing when to ask for help**. ## AI makes learning at work easier You’re three weeks into a new job, the sprint is already underway, and a ticket comes in that doesn’t fully match the docs. Do you ask for help and maybe seem inexperienced, or do you guess and hope you got it right? That choice never really goes away. Senior engineers are not people who never need help, they **know when to ask before uncertainty becomes a real problem**. For self-taught engineers, that threshold can feel especially high, as Michelle describes it: As someone who was self-taught, I sometimes found that asking questions at work could be dangerous. I could reveal an ignorance that I was expected to know, from a computer science term to a tool name. Michelle thinks **AI can make it easier to ask basic questions**. Since many developers already use AI tools connected to internal docs or code, they can get help without feeling judged. For her, that matters because most AI conversations focus on code generation. She cares more about what happens before that: helping engineers learn faster and feel less afraid to ask questions. ## Seniors also need business context One of the biggest mistakes mid-level engineers make as they work toward becoming senior engineers, Michelle says, has little to do with syntax or frameworks. The real issue is **not understanding how the business works**: Learn how the business makes money, and how your team affects that. For Michelle, engineers who understand how leadership makes decisions and how a company creates value are better equipped to make technical calls that matter. So what can you do to fix that? You should start paying more attention to business meetings and start seeing code as one part of a larger system, not the whole job. In smaller teams, or in companies without a deep bench of specialists, that is often part of the job. Sometimes you have to take on **the roles of product manager, developer, and SRE all at once**, even when you are not the expert in every area. ## ‘If it works, ship it’ That same pragmatism shapes how Michelle thinks about architecture and trade-offs. There is no single “correct” solution, just as there is no dream job or perfect candidate. “If it works, ship it,” Michelle says. It is an argument against **getting stuck in the search for a perfect answer that does not exist**. Senior engineers spend less time chasing theoretical purity and more time balancing constraints, risks, and deadlines. Michelle also gave us a sneak peek of her upcoming talk at [Infobip Shift](https://shift.infobip.com/?%7CEU%7C-Shift_Zadar_2024-%5BTy:G_Brand_Search;Lng:EN;Bid:MAN_eCPC%5D), based on the senior engineering career guide she has spent the last few years writing. She says the jump from mid to senior is much bigger than the jump from junior to mid, and that it can be **especially hard without a mentor** to show how the role actually works. Her talk will focus on the **practical skills engineers often do not get enough time to learn on the job**, from build-versus-buy decisions to interview preparation. She also spoke with engineers from organisations around the world to keep the advice broad. If you are coming to Shift, this is one talk worth catching. **Get your ticket for Shift conference with a special discount for ShiftMag readers!**