Refactored levels guide. (#68)

Updated Engineering Levels Guides

* Updated Makefile to use Docker to create levels guides.
* Cleaned up systems engineer levels guide.
* Added fullstack levels guide.

Co-authored-by: Zac Bergquist <[email protected]>

Dockerfile

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+FROM ubuntu:22.04
+
+RUN apt-get update && \
+    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends cmake && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+RUN apt-get update -y --fix-missing && \
+    apt-get -q -y upgrade && \
+    apt-get install -q -y --no-install-recommends \
+        texlive \
+        texlive-base
+
+WORKDIR /tmp

Makefile

@@ -1,23 +1,12 @@
-export TEXINPUTS := $(TEXINPUTS):$(abspath styles)
-
-TEX_SOURCES := $(shell find -name '*.tex')
-GENERATED_PDFS := $(TEX_SOURCES:.tex=.pdf)
-
 .PHONY: all
-all: $(GENERATED_PDFS)
-
-%.pdf: %.tex
-	cd $(@D) && pdflatex $(abspath $<)
-
-.PHONY: install-ubuntu
-install-ubuntu:
-	sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jonathonf/texlive-2019
-	sudo apt-get update
-	sudo apt-get install texlive xzdec
-	cd $(HOME) && tlmgr init-usertree
-	tlmgr option repository ftp://tug.org/historic/systems/texlive/2017/tlnet-final
-	tlmgr install listings csquotes
+all:
+	docker build -t latexbox -f Dockerfile .
+	docker run -v $$(pwd)/levels:/tmp -t latexbox pdflatex /tmp/systems.tex
+	docker run -v $$(pwd)/levels:/tmp -t latexbox pdflatex /tmp/fullstack.tex
+	$(MAKE) clean
 
 .PHONY: clean
 clean:
-	rm -f $(GENERATED_PDFS)
+	rm -f $$(pwd)/levels/*.aux
+	rm -f $$(pwd)/levels/*.log
+	rm -f $$(pwd)/levels/*.out

README.md

@@ -7,5 +7,5 @@ Thank you for visiting the Teleport Engineering recruiting, promotion and traini
 * [Open Positions](https://jobs.lever.co/teleport)
 * [Our Engineering Teams](./teams.md)
 * [Coding Challenges](./challenges)
-* [Engineering Levels](./levels.pdf)
+* [Engineering Levels](./levels)
 * [Team Leaders Training](./plans/teamleads.md)

levels.tex

@@ -1,105 +1,16 @@
 \documentclass{article}
-\usepackage{graphicx}
-\usepackage{listings}
-\lstset{language=C}
-\graphicspath{ {images/} }
-\usepackage{hyperref}
-\hypersetup{
-    colorlinks=true,
-    linkcolor=blue,
-    filecolor=magenta,
-    urlcolor=cyan,
-}
-\lstset{basicstyle=\sffamily}
-\usepackage{array}
-\usepackage[table]{xcolor}
-\usepackage{geometry}
- \geometry{
- a1paper,
- left=20mm,
- top=20mm,
- }
-
-\begin{document}
-\title{Engineering Levels}
 
-\section{Legend}
+% Don't show page numbers.
+\pagenumbering{gobble}
 
-The matrix below explains the requirements for engineering levels. Each level has to match at least one of the requirements for the level and the level before it.
+\usepackage{hyperref}
 
-Not all skills go to level 6. This is determined by the focus of Teleport.
-For example, security skills are more relevant, as we are a security oriented company, and we are interested in R\&D level 6 engineers, however OS/tooling is not the primary focus, so basic levels are satisfactory.
-As the level advances past 4, the focus shifts from technical skills to bringing products to market, as it's more relevant to Teleport as a for-profit startup.
+\begin{document}
 
-Skills are a mix of technical and communication abilities. Some references to security are based on the coding challenge.
+Teleport Levels Guides have moved to:
 
-\section{Skills}
+\bigbreak
 
-\begin{center}
-\rowcolors{2}{gray!80!gray!50}{gray!50!gray!20}
-\begin{tabular}{ | m{15em} | m{15em} | m{15em} |  m{15em} | m{15em} |  m{15em} | m{15em} | m{15em} |}
-  \hline
-  \rowcolor{blue!60!black!10}
-  Level/Skill & Data structures/Algorithms & Product Output & Security & Communication/Writing & Networking & Systems Engineering & OS/Tooling \\
-  \hline
-    1 &
-    Demonstrates good understanding of basic data structures - hash tables, linked lists, trees. Can reason about algorithm complexity.
-    Applies relevant data structures in day to day activity, can implement a production quality. It might be not the most efficient or secure, but correct. &
-    Creates a design document based on well-defined scoped requirements and implements it. &
-    Applies basic security principles to program design. For example, can set up HTTPS and password based auth. &
-    Reports progress on a regular basis as required by the team's operational requirements. Actively solicits feedback.Participates on interview panels. &
-    Understands and reasons about networking concepts. Understands and can write production quality web servers. Understands common networking issues and troubleshooting techniques. &
-    Understands the usage of POSIX and other APIs for Linux systems. Understands synchronization primitives and their application, including reasoning about deadlocks and data races.
-    Can write basic system-level code using the different types of memory and allocation.
-    Understands inter process communication and can build systems leveraging it.
-    Can implement data race and deadlock free code using basic production guidelines - using synchronization primitives and properly sharing state between components of the system.&
-    Understands the usage of compilers, interpreters, build tools at the organization. \\
-  \hline
-    2 & & &
-    Applies industry best practices and security guidelines, like setting up strong TLS, can pick strong authentication and authorization mechanisms.&
-    Provides constructive review on peers' code and design. Helps new team members during their first weeks. &
-    Has more granular understanding of the networking design, for example can reason about using GRPC vs HTTPS-JSON and their networking and scalability trade-offs.
-    Can do the same for UDP vs TCP and lower level protocols.&
-    Can reason about performance implications and risks of using synchronization primitives, understands granularity of locking, can debug and troubleshoot memory and synchronization issues.&
-    Understands tools and compilers as an advanced user - for example, can refactor Makefiles to make them more efficient and parallel execution friendly or select the optimal set of compiler flags for Linux and MacOS. \\
-  \hline
-    3 &
-    Uses advanced data structures and algorithms, such as consensus, gossip protocols to implement key product features.&
-    Collaborates with the team to scope requirements, based on good understanding of existing longer term product vision and estimates of the system design of a feature of a product.&
-    Understands security aspects of protocols on a deeper level, for example can explain differences between TLS 1.2 and 1.3 and security implications.
-    Understands common attack vectors for server side or client side applications and can build secure systems that will pass quality security audit that will uncover no critical system design errors.&
-    Supports less experienced peers' technical skills, answering questions and being a resource. Documents and improves team practices.&
-    Understands scalability and resilience aspects of practical implementation of systems leveraging networking.
-    Can write fast, scalable servers and troubleshoot common networking issues such as connection lifecycle, pooling, backpressure and other aspects of the application design. &
-    Not only can write data-race and deadlock free code, but implements safe and concurrent and/or parallel systems using minimum amount of shared state, granular locking - systems that are easy to read, extend and troubleshoot.
-    Senior engineers are not expected to find any faults or provide any further suggestions in the systems design document submitted by the Level 3 engineer.
-    & \\
-  \hline
-    4 &
-    Leads implementation of products and standalone systems using advanced data structures and algorithms, such as upgrade/install distributed framework.&
-    Leads the implementation of the isolated feature/improvement that measurably and significantly impacts business outcomes from gathering requirements to getting to the market stage.&
-    Can apply production quality novel cryptographic to build security systems. For example, can implement strong security support for the system with eBPF from scratch.&
-    Writes technical articles/blog posts, delivers tech and lightning talks representing the company's technical vision.&
-    &
-    Can implement production grade systems leveraging advanced low-level and novel components of the Linux design like BPF, control groups.
-    & \\
-  \hline
-    5&
-    Implements customer facing features and systems using advanced data structures and algorithms.&
-    Leads the implementation of a new product line or significant part of the product to deliver it to the market in collaboration with all other teams.&
-    Writes technical articles on security aspects of the system, implements significant security product innovations in the area delivered to customers.&
-    Writes advanced technical articles/blog posts, gaining significant industry traction or delivers technical talks on major conferences representing the company's vision.
-    & &
-    Applies system level design to deliver new products or significant new components of an existing product to the market.
-    & \\
-  \hline
-    6&
-    Designs new data structures and algorithms solving relevant business problems and creating competitive advantage for the company.&
-    &
-    Researches and designs new security systems, cryptography and protocols.&
-    Produces peer-reviewed research papers or patent applications.
-    & & & \\
-\end{tabular}
-\end{center}
+\url{https://github.com/gravitational/careers/tree/main/levels}
 
 \end{document}

levels/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+# Engineering Levels
+
+The linked matrices below explain the requirements for all engineering
+specialities and levels at Teleport.
+
+For Levels 1-3 engineers must meet the requirements for all specialities.
+Starting from Level 4 engineers will typically focus on one specialty.
+
+Not all skills go to Level 6. This is determined by the focus of Teleport.
+
+For example, security skills are more relevant, as we are a security oriented
+company, and we are interested in R&D Level 6 engineers, however OS/tooling is
+not the primary focus, so basic levels are satisfactory.
+
+As the level advances past 4, the focus shifts from technical skills to
+bringing products to market, as it's more relevant to Teleport as a for-profit
+startup.
+
+Skills are a mix of technical and communication abilities. Some references to
+security are based on the coding challenge.
+
+* [Systems Engineering](./systems.pdf)
+* [Fullstack Engineering](./fullstack.pdf)