Career course Course 14 of 24

Make senior-level work easier to see.

Prepare for a promotion discussion by comparing your work with your organization's actual expectations for the next level. Show the scope, judgment and impact of your contribution, and ask where the evidence is still missing. More activity alone does not establish readiness.

Open Cadence on the App Store or Google Play and type the sentence on this page, or choose this course ready-made under Browse starter courses. Free to start.
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Try a practical exercise

Type this when Cadence asks what you want to learn

I want to get promoted from individual contributor to senior by showing higher-leverage work.

Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.

Two people weighing options across a table. — Promotion **Getting promoted from IC to senior**
30 short lessons. Day 1 is ready.

Best for: Career moves
Prerequisites: No formal prerequisites
Course length: 30 daily lessons
Lesson pace: About 10 minutes a day
Total learning time: About 5 hours in total
Access: Available on the App Store and Google Play, with an optional early testing list

An original website exercise

Separate a busy week from evidence of broader contribution.

Use an invented example of an individual contributor improving a handover process. Practise explaining the work without claiming a promotion result.

01

Start with the local criteria

Find the current expectations for the role and level in your organization. Do not assume that "senior" means the same thing in every company.
02

Describe a decision and its scope

Explain the problem, options and your contribution. Show how you worked with others rather than taking credit for everything the team delivered.
03

Record impact and an open question

Use observed results and state limitations. Ask your manager which expectation this supports and what further evidence they need.

Worked example, not a learner result

"I mapped where handovers lost context and worked with support and engineering on a shared checklist. I can show the change and the feedback we collected. Which next-level expectation does that demonstrate, and what is still missing?"

The example is fictional and contains no invented improvement percentage. Check that your own version distinguishes work completed, impact observed and readiness still to be assessed. A stronger case does not guarantee an available role or promotion.

Want a guided learning path? Start free in Cadence and look for Promotion to Senior IC, the in-app name for this course. This website exercise is an introduction, not an excerpt from an app lesson.

Right for now

If any of this sounds familiar, start here.

Every lesson connects to a conversation, decision, or habit you can change between lessons.

You do strong work quietly

Make impact visible without turning into a self-promoter.

The promotion bar feels vague

Translate expectations into evidence.

You need more scope

Find senior-shaped work before the cycle closes.

You want better manager conversations

Bring examples, gaps, and asks to the table.

Inside the course

Your first three days are already mapped.

The course follows a daily sequence, so the next practical move is waiting when you come back.

Promotion signal

Know what senior-level evidence looks like.

Scope design

Choose work that demonstrates leverage.

Impact narrative

Connect actions to outcomes and judgment.

Manager alignment

Use clearer conversations about gaps and timing.

Course preview 30 short lessons

Promotion to Senior IC

Day 1 What "Senior" Actually Looks Like

Distinguish senior-level impact from reliable individual execution.

Day 2
Tie Your Work to Outcomes

Map your work to outcomes that affect teams, systems, or decisions.
Day 3
Spot Leverage in Daily Work

Spot moments where one decision helps many people or future work.

Course arc

From vague intention to repeatable moves.

Cadence turns the course into a returnable habit: short lesson, quick check, review, and the next useful step.

01 / 04

Decode the level

Know what senior means in behavior.

Find scope

Choose work that stretches judgment and influence.

Collect evidence

Make impact concrete.

Run the conversation

Align with your manager on gaps and timing.

Full syllabus

30 lessons, arranged as one clear path.

Learn what senior means at your company, calibrate the gap with your manager, choose the right opportunity, gather verifiable evidence, and build sponsorship. Finish with a promotion case that shows impact and meets the standards, without treating promotion as guaranteed.

Module 01

Read the Level Contract

Translate the actual senior rubric into observable signals, then compare it with feedback and real examples.

Day 1 What "Senior" Actually Looks Like
Day 2 Tie Your Work to Outcomes
Day 3 Spot Leverage in Daily Work
Day 4 Busy Work That Isn't Leverage
Day 5 Map Yourself on the Scope Ladder

Module 02

Choose a Demonstrable Gap

Use manager calibration and role context to choose one gap that can be addressed through real work.

Day 6 Scope or Just Execution?
Day 7 Turn Repeat Work Into Assets
Day 8 Unblock the Work of Many
Day 9 Multiply Output, Not Effort
Day 10 Pick Your Highest-Leverage Move

Module 03

Align and Deliver the Opportunity

Agree on scope, decision rights, tradeoffs, and success evidence before committing to a promotion-relevant opportunity.

Day 11 Filter for Senior-Scope Work
Day 12 Say No Without Losing Trust
Day 13 Commit to One Leverage Bet
Day 14 Escalate, Delegate, or Solve It
Day 15 Pressure-Test Your Bet

Module 04

Influence and Sponsorship

Build trust across peers, managers, and sponsors who have direct evidence of the work.

Day 16 Know Who Can Vouch for Your Work
Day 17 Build Sponsorship Through Real Work
Day 18 Move Work Without Authority
Day 19 Show Your Progress Without the Noise
Day 20 Document a Cross-Team Decision

Module 05

Evidence and Promotion Process

Collect attributable proof and understand review timing, manager advocacy, calibration, and common evidence gaps.

Day 21 Choose Evidence the Rubric Needs
Day 22 Measure Impact Without False Precision
Day 23 Show Your Role Without Erasing Others
Day 24 Map How Promotion Decisions Get Made
Day 25 Build a Rubric-Mapped Packet

Module 06

Make the Case and Handle the Answer

Assemble a rubric-mapped case, make a clear ask, and turn approval, delay, or rejection into specific next steps.

Day 26 Build a Tight Promotion Narrative
Day 27 Check Manager Sponsorship
Day 28 Make a Clear Promotion Ask
Day 29 Turn Delay or Rejection Into Specifics
Day 30 Your Promotion Case and Next Step

How learning works

Read, listen, check your understanding, then keep going.

Short daily lessons

Each lesson is designed around about 10 minutes of focused learning.

Reading and audio

Read the lesson or play its audio when listening fits your day better.

Checks when useful

Lessons can use quizzes, written responses, or guided practice. A lesson can also teach without adding a forced exercise.

Progress and support

Track completed lessons, keep a streak, set reminders, and ask the in-lesson coach for help.

Know the limits. Cadence supports guided self-learning. It does not award an accredited degree or professional certificate, and important AI-generated claims should be checked against reliable sources.

Free to read first

Guides on the same skill.

Course questions

What to know before you start.

Who is Promotion to Senior IC for?

Every lesson connects to a conversation, decision, or habit you can change between lessons. It is listed in the career moves part of the Cadence course library.

Do I need any prior experience?

No formal prerequisites are required. The course is designed for guided self-learning, and it is most useful when you bring a real situation or goal to the lessons.

How long does the course take?

Promotion to Senior IC contains 30 lessons designed around 10 minutes each. You open lessons in sequence and can move at your own pace.

What is the learning format?

Lessons can be read or played as audio. The course includes quizzes or practical checks where the lesson calls for them, plus progress tracking and Ask Coach inside lessons.

Does this course award a certificate or degree?

No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.

Start today

Day 1: What "Senior" Actually Looks Like

Get Cadence and type the sentence above when it asks what you want to learn, or choose Promotion to Senior IC ready-made under Browse starter courses. Day 1 is already written.