When Do You Become a Senior Developer?
How to differentiate between the stages.
I was recently asked how I distinguish between junior and senior developers as a CTO. I prefer to offer my own insights instead of relying on predefined systems—of which plenty exist.
It's less about numerical metrics or rigid classifications and more about understanding the intrinsic qualities underpinning a developer's career progression.
The Junior Phase
It’s important to understand that the junior role is about learning, aspiration, and about new generations of developers.
In the beginning, you're a junior developer. You need to gain more experience, rudimentary coding skills, and a basic grasp of design principles. It's natural for you to seek advice and rely heavily on more experienced teammates at this stage.
You should not be expected to already be able to work fluently on tasks all on your own, but you should be eager to get to this stage as soon as possible. It’s important to understand that the junior role is about learning, aspiration, and about new generations of developers.
How do you determine to be in this phase?
You rely regularly on help to solve issues.
You're unfamiliar with best practices and coding standards in your tech stack.
You require frequent code reviews and corrections.
You may struggle to translate business requirements into code.
You have limited experience with debugging and troubleshooting.
You often reference tutorials and documentation to accomplish basic tasks.
You are still building a foundational understanding of algorithms and data structures.
You have difficulty estimating how long tasks will take to complete.
You may not be comfortable taking the lead on projects or features.
Your scope of knowledge is specialized to specific tasks rather than understanding the overall system.
🍀 And this is totally as it’s expected to be! On your stage, it’s all about learning.
The Intermediate Tier
As you accumulate experience, you evolve into a mid-level developer. You become adept at navigating your specific tech stack and resolving the majority of challenges that come your way.
Still, you may require assistance for more complicated or specialized issues. Significantly, this is the phase where you also begin to mentor others, as you've garnered enough expertise to instruct.
How do you determine to be in this phase?
You can solve most issues independently but may require help for complex or unfamiliar problems.
You are comfortable with best practices and coding standards in your tech stack.
You start participating in code reviews as a reviewer and a reviewee.
You can translate business requirements into code with moderate ease.
You have a solid understanding of debugging and troubleshooting.
You occasionally mentor junior developers or help onboard new team members.
You begin to have opinions on code architecture and may contribute to discussions on this topic.
You understand algorithms, data structures, and design patterns well.
You can fairly accurately estimate how long tasks will take to complete.
You understand the broader system architecture but may not contribute significantly to its design yet.
💪 Being in the intermediate phase means you're well on your way to becoming a seasoned developer, and this stage serves as a pivotal moment for specialization and more profound skill development. Nonetheless, you are a solid part of your team's workforce.
👓 Read the full Article and Video here.
The Senior Stage
Over 6-8 years, you amass extensive skills, knowledge of multiple programming languages, and a nuanced understanding of software architecture and other IT domains.
🌟 While your technical prowess is undoubtedly strong, the fundamental shift is that you become an integral part of your team's fabric.
This transformation is what sets you apart. Your role includes mentoring, process optimization, troubleshooting complex challenges, and occasionally being the team's go-to problem solver. Your focus shifts from individual tasks to collective success.
Being a senior means you're skilled and invaluable in uplifting your team and fostering a culture of mentorship and collaboration.
How do you determine to be in this phase?
You can solve complex and unfamiliar problems independently.
You know best practices, coding standards, and architectural patterns in multiple tech stacks.
You regularly conduct and oversee code reviews, focusing on the team's technical and educational aspects.
You can easily translate business requirements into scalable and maintainable software architectures.
You are highly skilled at debugging, troubleshooting, and optimizing code for performance and scalability.
You actively mentor junior and intermediate developers, helping them grow professionally.
You contribute to high-level architecture decisions and have a voice in the strategic direction of projects.
You are proficient in multiple programming languages and can quickly adapt to new technologies.
You can reliably estimate project scopes and timelines, even for complex initiatives.
You are focused on the team's overall success and are proactive in identifying and solving bottlenecks or issues in the development process.
♻️Being in the senior phase means you have not only technical expertise but also a deep commitment to team success, leadership qualities, and a strategic understanding of the business. You now give more to the team than you take from it–you became a cornerstone.
A Note on Junior Talent
Many aspiring developers are eager to climb the ladder. Established teams must consider opening doors for such individuals.
✅ Knowledge Transfer: Teaching solidifies your understanding, making you even more proficient.
✅ Team Building: You could nurture a committed and valuable new colleague over time.
✅ Efficiency: Juniors can handle simpler tasks, freeing up more experienced developers.
✅ Good Karma: Remember, you started as a junior, too. A supportive environment enriches the team.
I've had the privilege of working with people who have moved from juniors to seniors, and the bond created is remarkable. So, don't hesitate to take a chance on someone new.
Joining 1:1 Fellowship on you way to become a Senior
Do you want to grow as a developer or tech lead?
With 24 years of multi-domain experience as a CTO, entrepreneur, and software developer, I am a Fellow-Type mentor dedicated to your professional growth. Through our weekly calls, we'll progressively and continuously work through your challenges. I aim to empower you with the understanding and tools you need to solve these issues yourself.
I'm not here to fix problems for you; I aim to enable you to tackle them independently. Explore my articles and videos to understand who I am and how I can assist you on your journey.
Empowering CTOs, Tech-Lead, and Teams with Webbar’s Fellowship teams.
I serve as a guide and mentor to empower you to resolve your challenges independently, without the aid of others.
I hope my perspective proves valuable to you.
I wish you a wonderful day. Let's all contribute to the growth of the next wave of developers.
Adrian