Choosing Your Developer Path Series: Yes, You Can Lead and Still Write Code

In the next few weeks, I’ll explore with you how to choose a developer path: from technical deep dives to people leadership, and everything in between. Whether you’re at a fork in the road or just getting curious, this series is for you. Week 1 will be about exploring (experimentation, choosing a growth theme), Week 2 we'll focus on becoming visible and taking initiative, while the final week is about claiming growth (or moving away) and choosing your own path. Join me on this journey!

“You’ll Have to Stop Coding If You Want to Lead.”

For a long time, I thought there were only two choices:

Stay technical: stay “just a dev”
Go into leadership: say goodbye to coding

But that is definitely not the case.

You can lead and still write code.
You can grow without giving up what you love.

The Blend Is Real (and Honestly Quite Powerful)

Some of the best tech leads I’ve worked with still:

• Review PRs with insight
• Coach teammates through pair programming
• Shape architecture and technical direction
• Fix the occasional bug (although this part I would gladly delegate to my subordinates :D)
• Prototype ideas when specs are unclear

They may not ship the most code, but they still code with purpose.

Leadership Isn’t a Role, It’s a Skillset

You don’t have to be a manager to:

• Set priorities
• Communicate functionally across domains
• Unblock others
• Facilitate clarity
• Create psychological safety

And you don’t have to stop coding to do those things. You just need to find focus and find the right balance for you.

Tech First? People First? Or Both?

Some devs go full tech: Staff Engineer, Architect. Others go full people: Engineering Manager, CTO.

But perhaps you're more comfortable living in the middle (like me):

• Building AND coaching
• Thinking in systems AND team health
• Driving delivery AND protecting code quality

Final Thought

Don’t let the myth of “pure management” scare you off.

You can shape people, process, and product and still commit code! You don’t have to give up your craft to grow.

You just have to expand your definition of what building means.

Oh final tip: be mindful of meetings! I swear since becoming team lead I had a lot of more meetings. It's okay to set boundaries and not go to every meeting you're invited to just because you're "the lead". Give others the chance on your team to take ownership, be a fly on the wall, don't feel like you need to participate in everything (unless you adore meetings of course, then you will have a field day).

💬 Have you found a leadership/coding balance that works for you?

In case you want more guidance: I'm now offering free 30-minute coaching calls for developers who want to grow (whether you're junior, medior, or senior). In this call, we’ll talk about your current situation, challenges you're facing, and where you want to go next. You'll receive tailored advice specific to your goals and concrete next steps. No catch. Just me, helping you grow.

👉 Book your free call here: https://calendly.com/tim-lorent/free-30-minute-growth-call-for-developers

Speaking of free guidance: download my Free Developer Growth Kit — 3 Practical Guides to Grow from Coder to Leader. It gives you practical tools to level up your skills, mindset, and workflow, without burning out or guessing your next step.

Or if you’re ready to take the next step: check out my book From Hello World to Team Lead or the developer platform for career growth Campfires.dev. 20% of all revenue from the book and coaching will be donated to tech charities like TechMeUp, SheSharp, GirlCode, HackYourFuture.