What Separates Good Engineers from Great Ones
Beyond Coding22 Loka 2025

What Separates Good Engineers from Great Ones

What's the real difference between a good software engineer and a truly great one? It’s more than just coding skill. It's a specific mindset, a disciplined approach to technology, and a deep understanding of core principles. This is the roadmap to leveling up your career.


In this conversation with Sander Mak, Director of Technology at Picnic, we discuss the methods they use to train world-class engineers.


You will learn:

The "under the hood" knowledge that truly matters.

Why great engineers often choose "boring," proven technology.

The critical transition from being a coder to a product-focused engineer.

The most common pitfall that holds good developers back.


If you're a software developer looking to move beyond "good enough" and achieve greatness in your craft, this is the episode for you.


Connect with Sander:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandermak


Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro

00:00:30 - Building Picnic's Tech Academy for New Engineers

00:04:37 - The Key Mindset of a Successful Junior Engineer

00:08:01 - A Look Inside the Engineering Training Curriculum

00:12:19 - The Common Pitfall of Copying Without Understanding

00:14:10 - How Deep "Under the Hood" Knowledge Should Go

00:17:41 - Why Great Engineers Value "Boring" Technology

00:21:44 - Improving Developer Experience and Team Productivity

00:30:02 - The Transition from Coder to Product Engineer

00:34:18 - Key Advice for Self-Taught Developers

00:35:41 - Using AI for Learning vs. for Code Generation


#SoftwareEngineering #DeveloperCareer #Coding

Jaksot(238)

Crypto startup journey and move to BUX Crypto with Zowie Langdon

Crypto startup journey and move to BUX Crypto with Zowie Langdon

Zowie takes us through his unique journey within the cryptocurrency startup space. Where it was instantly ‘GO TIME!’, with funds raised within minutes. Where deciding and adapting was key, and hope wa...

23 Kesä 20211h 18min

Skills needed to be a great modern-day CTO with João Rosa

Skills needed to be a great modern-day CTO with João Rosa

The differences between a good and a great CTO can be subtle, but João Rosa lays them out clearly. Do you need to know it all when it comes to tech? Does success mean you can’t fail? Well… not exactly...

16 Kesä 202151min

Moving countries and starting a new job during the pandemic with Dillon Parfitt

Moving countries and starting a new job during the pandemic with Dillon Parfitt

Ever thought about what it would be like to take a job abroad and move countries during the pandemic? Dillon Parfitt is one of the few people that took that plunge!! The company he joined… Xebia! On t...

9 Kesä 202146min

Moving software applications to China with Léon Rodenburg

Moving software applications to China with Léon Rodenburg

As the first European Alibaba Cloud MVP, Léon is the go-to guy for moving software applications to China. We talked about cultural differences, Chinese cloud providers, and the technical challenges bu...

2 Kesä 202151min

Mental health and IT leadership with Serge Beaumont

Mental health and IT leadership with Serge Beaumont

With 26 years of experience in IT, Serge has seen it all. In our conversation, he talks openly about how mental health issues affected his life and how he overcame them. He also shares his experience ...

26 Touko 20211h 9min

Taking the time to share knowledge with Urs Peter

Taking the time to share knowledge with Urs Peter

As a seasoned software development consultant and certified Kotlin trainer, Urs shares his vision on the importance of knowledge sharing in creating a successful engineering culture.

19 Touko 202145min