Career Traps That Slow Down SREs (And How to Avoid Them)

Common mistakes that quietly block growth from junior to Staff.

SRE careers often stall not because of technical gaps, but because of avoidable missteps.

Waiting too long to apply

Many aspiring SREs delay applying until they feel “ready”. Career research shows that candidates who meet most requirements are often competitive.
https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-become-site-reliability-engineer

Tool obsession over fundamentals

Knowing tools without understanding reliability principles leads to shallow impact. SREs who grow fastest understand why systems fail, not just how to operate platforms.
https://sre.google/sre-book/introduction/

Staying invisible

Reliability work can be subtle. Engineers who don’t document impact, share learnings, or communicate outcomes often get overlooked during promotion cycles.

Avoiding career conversations

Explicit discussions about progression expectations are consistently cited as a key factor in career advancement by practicing SREs.
https://www.reddit.com/r/sre/

Growth requires intent

Strong SRE careers are rarely accidental. They’re built by engineers who treat reliability as both a technical discipline and a long-term craft.