I am not a director of engineering at a large tech company. But looking at the profiles of those who are, I get the impression that in addition to having an amazing CV, those people have an excellent professional network. To an outsider it might look like a meritocracy, but it is most positively more about who you know, and how you connect socially, etc.
@drdunce, it really does depend where you are starting from. Regardless, start hustling your network and build up an incredible profile. A PhD + MBA might be useful but most certainly not sufficient.
@drdunce, it really does depend where you are starting from. Regardless, start hustling your network and build up an incredible profile. A PhD + MBA might be useful but most certainly not sufficient.