Introduction to general SE operations

If we continue with our football analogy, you, the SE, are responsible for moving the ball from your 20-yard line all the way to your opponent’s 20-yard line (the Red Zone). That is a LOT of field to cover, and it is mostly your responsibility to navigate! From there, the account executive (AE) is typically responsible for actually getting the ball over the goal line (in essence, getting a purchase order from the customer). An old SE manager once told me, “You have to run this like you are running your own business.” This was great guidance given to me when I started my career as an SE, and it will help you to see your operation in a manner where you take initiative and ownership of the success of your team. Yes, you work for a company, but you do not have a 9-to-5 job. Instead, it is a dynamic role in which you are driven to obtain the technical win and that means for each customer, there will be challenges and nuances that...