Build With Maya

Maya Shavin
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Build With Maya is a podcast about how engineers think, and build in the real world. I talk about the systems I build and experiment with across frontend and AI. But more than the tools, I care about the decisions behind them — the tradeoffs, the judgment calls, and the responsibility that comes with building things that matter. Some episodes are reflections, experiments, while others are just honest thoughts about ownership, impact, and how your mindset shifts as you grow more senior. If you care more about how we scale our impact in this AI era, this is for you.

  1. Jul 14

    From Mid-Level to Senior Engineer: Finding Growth Opportunities and Building Impact

    How do you grow from mid-level to senior engineer when the next step is not clearly defined? In this guest episode of Build with Maya, Maya talks with Matan Borenkraout, Principal Software Engineer, about finding growth opportunities, building impact beyond your own tasks, and developing the communication skills that help engineers move forward in their careers. We discuss what actually changes as you grow into senior engineering roles, why writing more code does not always mean creating more impact, and how to spot the right problems to work on when no one hands you a clear path. We also talk about leading without authority in the AI era, how engineers can build trust and visibility, and what mistakes to avoid when trying to grow into senior, staff, or tech lead positions. If you are a mid-level engineer aiming for senior, or a senior engineer thinking about broader impact, this episode will help you think more clearly about ownership, influence, communication, and career growth in software engineering. Topics covered: Moving from mid-level to senior engineerFinding growth opportunities at workBuilding impact beyond codingCommunication and soft skills for engineersLeading without authoritySenior engineer career growthEngineering leadership in the AI eraVisibility, trust, and ownership in software teamsSubscribe to Build with Maya for practical conversations about software engineering, AI tools, ownership, and career growth.

    From Mid-Level to Senior Engineer: Finding Growth Opportunities and Building Impact

  2. Jun 30

    What AI Actually Changes in a Developer’s Day

    AI tools are changing the way developers work, but not always in the ways people expect. In this guest episode, Maya talks with Tim Benniks about what AI actually changes in a developer’s day: debugging, writing tests, reviewing PRs, exploring codebases, writing docs, and prototyping. They also discuss where AI falls short, where it creates new risks, what junior engineers need to do to keep up, and why engineering judgment matters even more when teams can generate code faster than they can review it. If you are a software engineer, senior engineer, tech lead, or developer advocate thinking about AI tools, productivity, ownership, and career growth, this conversation is for you. 🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned Follow Tim Benniks on LinkedIn and https://timbenniks.dev⁠ Follow Maya Shavin on Twitter @mayashavin & LinkedIn

    What AI Actually Changes in a Developer’s Day

  3. Jun 9

    #12 - Why Constant Complaining Holds Engineers Back

    We've all worked with an engineer who complains about everything. The architecture is wrong. The process is broken. Management doesn't understand engineering. Sometimes they're absolutely right. But at some point, people stop hearing and start noticing the negativity. In this episode, I talk about why constant complaining can hold engineers back, even when they're technically correct. Together we dive into: Moving from a "problem finder" to a high-influence leader. How to push back effectively under tight constraints. Why this soft skill matters even more in the AI era.

    #12 - Why Constant Complaining Holds Engineers Back

  4. May 26

    #11 - What Does Being A Senior Engineer Mean In The AI Era?

    AI can now help engineers write code, generate tests, draft specs, review pull requests, and even suggest architecture ideas. So what happens when the visible output between junior and senior engineers starts looking increasingly similar? Do engineering levels still mean what we think they do? In this episode of Build With Maya, I explore how AI is changing engineering growth, career progression, and the signals teams use to assess capability. We’ll talk about: Why the classical signals of senior-readiness is not relevant anymoreHow growing faster doesn't equal to actual growthThe risk of confusing AI-assisted proposal with actual capabilityWhat still differentiates engineers in the AI eraIf you're a software engineer, tech lead, staff engineer, or engineering manager navigating AI-assisted development, this episode is for you.

    #11 - What Does Being A Senior Engineer Mean In The AI Era?

  5. May 12

    #10 - When Senior Engineers Should Push Back (And When Not To)

    "Choose your battle well" Being a good engineer means sometimes you need to push back. But not everything is worth pushing back. And that's the part where we move from being good to being senior engineer - decide when it's worth it. In this episode, I talk about one of the hardest parts of our engineering work: deciding when to push back and where our energy can actually changes the outcome. We’ll cover: Why pushing on everything reduces your influenceHow to identify decisions that actually matter in long termWhy timing mattersHow AI makes it harder by suggesting "better" optionsPractical 3-question model to help in your decision making process.If you’ve ever wondered "should I speak up or just move on?", this is the episode for you.

    #10 - When Senior Engineers Should Push Back (And When Not To)

  6. Apr 28

    #9 - Why Alignment Is Harder Than It Looks

    If something feels obvious to you but not to your team, it’s probably not a communication problem. In this episode of Build With Maya, I talk about why alignment is harder than it looks. It is not because people don't communicate well, but because they’re working with different context. We’ll get into: Why explaining something clearly doesn’t always create agreementHow different experiences lead to different conclusionsWhat actually changes as you grow from trying to convince to making context visibleIf you’ve ever walked out of a discussion thinking "why can't we align on things", this episode is for you. Follow Build With Maya if you’re interested in how engineers actually think and work through real problems.

    #9 - Why Alignment Is Harder Than It Looks

  7. Apr 14

    #8 - The Seniority Trap: Why "More Skills" Won't Save Your Career

    Learning more won't get you to senior , thinking differently will. As engineers move from junior to mid-level, mid-level to senior, there’s often this pressure to learn more tools, frameworks, especially now with how fast AI is evolving. As if that's the way to level up, or stay relevant. But "learning more" can quietly become a trap. In this episode, I talk about what actually changes as you grow as an engineer, and why seniority is less about expanding your skill set, and more about shifting your perspective. It's about learning when not to build something. We’ll get into why choosing the right problems matters more than solving them perfectly, and why growth at this stage has less to do with tools, but more on decision-making. If you’ve ever felt stuck trying to move from mid-level to senior, this episode is for you.

    #8 - The Seniority Trap: Why "More Skills" Won't Save Your Career

  8. Mar 31

    #7 - The Work No One Assigns You

    A lot of the work that actually makes systems succeed… never shows up in a ticket. In this episode, I talk about the kind of engineering work that isn’t assigned, tracked, or measured, but quietly becomes your responsibility over time. Things like noticing risks early, asking questions no one asked, or connecting gaps across teams. This is usually where the shift to seniority starts. Not by doing more tasks, but by seeing more of the system. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing work that “doesn’t count” on paper, this episode is for you.

    #7 - The Work No One Assigns You
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About

Build With Maya is a podcast about how engineers think, and build in the real world. I talk about the systems I build and experiment with across frontend and AI. But more than the tools, I care about the decisions behind them — the tradeoffs, the judgment calls, and the responsibility that comes with building things that matter. Some episodes are reflections, experiments, while others are just honest thoughts about ownership, impact, and how your mindset shifts as you grow more senior. If you care more about how we scale our impact in this AI era, this is for you.

Information

  • Creator
    Maya Shavin
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Maya Shavin
  • Show Website
    Build With Maya