In 2021, Bandcamp faced a conundrum.
We needed to grow the ranks of our engineering leadership, but hiring externally was difficult. This was partly due to our uncommon perspective on the role of an engineering manager (more on that soon). But more importantly, it was because we knew there was tremendous talent in our existing teams and a desire for professional growth. We wanted to develop the talent we already had.
With that in mind, we devised a supervised apprenticeship program, aimed at guiding experienced individual contributors (ICs) into becoming first-time engineering managers (EMs). Apprenticeships are a proven tool for guiding newcomers into a profession, giving them the structure and space they need to practice critical skills in lower-stakes situations.
