$.02 - If someone wants to be a "senior developer" they should pursue goals as described in this article and measure themselves by achievement of those goals.
Don't measure yourself or others by a job title. In many places everyone has the title of Senior Developer or higher. It means a) they've worked there for a few years or b) when they were hired they negotiated for a higher title.
It's pervasive and unlikely to change. We just need to be aware of it. It's usually harmless, but in some cases a newer developer (I never use the term "junior" because we're all adults) can have his or her growth stunted by following the examples of senior developers who stopped learning years ago right after they figured out how to throw together really bad code. They're called expert beginners. It's a lot easier to avoid becoming one if you realize that the phenomenon exists.
💯 I was there and had to do exactly this - learn on my own and set my own expectations with where I wanted to go in my career.
A good rule of thumb is to look up to people who have already achieved what you want (which shouldn't be simply the title of "senior developer").
Want to be a competent senior dev? Look in the broader community for people who are considered great seniors devs.
It's true, there are SO many developers who stay with the same company doing, mostly, the same stuff and are given new titles just because they've been there for X years.
there are SO many developers who stay with the same company doing, mostly, the same stuff and are given new titles just because they've been there for X years.
$.02 - If someone wants to be a "senior developer" they should pursue goals as described in this article and measure themselves by achievement of those goals.
Don't measure yourself or others by a job title. In many places everyone has the title of Senior Developer or higher. It means a) they've worked there for a few years or b) when they were hired they negotiated for a higher title.
It's pervasive and unlikely to change. We just need to be aware of it. It's usually harmless, but in some cases a newer developer (I never use the term "junior" because we're all adults) can have his or her growth stunted by following the examples of senior developers who stopped learning years ago right after they figured out how to throw together really bad code. They're called expert beginners. It's a lot easier to avoid becoming one if you realize that the phenomenon exists.
💯 I was there and had to do exactly this - learn on my own and set my own expectations with where I wanted to go in my career.
A good rule of thumb is to look up to people who have already achieved what you want (which shouldn't be simply the title of "senior developer").
Want to be a competent senior dev? Look in the broader community for people who are considered great seniors devs.
It's true, there are SO many developers who stay with the same company doing, mostly, the same stuff and are given new titles just because they've been there for X years.
Erik Dietrich (@daedtech ) has written about this phenomenon while identifying a career-path 'black hole' of the "expert beginner": daedtech.com/how-developers-stop-l...
Sweet - thanks for the link! I read this one in a galaxy long ago but will be re-reading. Erik's stuff is gold 👍
Thanks for the mention!