I'm a Software Engineer ~ what next? is a podcast for software engineers at a crossroads.

Hosted by tech recruiter James Wilson and veteran engineer Matt Sinclair, it explores what it means to grow in your career—whether you're staying on the IC track, moving into leadership, or redefining success entirely.🎙 In this episode, we tackle the title trap.Matt and James dig into:- How culture affects how we view titles (Australia vs UK vs US)- What titles really say (and don't say) about your skills or impact- Why some companies strip titles altogether—and what happens when they do- Whether the only way to get promoted is to become a manager- How to think about IC progression when the ladder isn't clear- How to stand out without relying on your CV or job title.If you've ever wondered whether you're a "Senior Engineer" or just stuck in a system that defines progress by job titles, this episode might be for you. 🎧 16 minutes Show Notes & LinksHosts:Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewsinclair/James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-wilson-92170656/Website: https://whatnext.devMore from Matt: -https://matthewsinclair.com-https://quantumfaxmachine.com

Are you a React developer, or just someone who uses React?In this episode of What Next?, Matt and James dig into:Why engineers get stuck identifying with tools, not skillsWhat hiring managers often look forHow to stand out by showing how you think, not just what you knowWhy AI will amplify your strengths, or your mistakesWe go deep on how engineers can future-proof their careers by thinking beyond the resume buzzwords.Original Linkedin Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/james-...🎧 15 minutes. Zero fluff. Tune in now.

In our first short episode Matt and James dive into something every hiring manager and recruiter has faced:

• Candidates who seem like a great fit — strong CV, good early interviews — but don’t make it through.
• Or, just as often, the ones that slip through the cracks but might have been the right hire.
• Drawing on Matt’s years of experience leading engineering teams, we talk through:
• Why hiring starts with understanding the real problem you’re solving
• How the cost of a “wrong hire” compares to the risk of missing the right person
• What makes hiring for deep tech roles fundamentally different from product-focused startups
• Why values alignment can matter more than technical brilliance
• What engineers should look for when evaluating whether a startup is worth joiningIf you're scaling a team or navigating your next move as an engineer, this episode offers a grounded look at where things go right — and wrong — in the hiring process.

🔎 Full episodes & show notes at whatnext.dev