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Discussion on: Definition of Junior and Senior Developer

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Paul Lefebvre

At many organizations the difference is just seniority, but that is a poor differentiator.

My opinion:

A senior dev is one who can work independently on large, often complex, tasks, leading them to completion with minimal coaching and oversight. They can figure out and learn things on their own and do so in a way that matches the organization's goals. They mentor others.

A junior dev is one who cannot yet do the above. They require careful monitoring of their work to make sure they stay on task and perhaps don't re-invent the wheel. They require coaching and mentoring to show them how to research and figure out problems on their own, do effective debugging, etc.

So Jedi/Padawan, I guess.