80% of Software Engineers Fail to Become Senior Developers — And Here’s Why

Do you know 80% of software engineers are not able to become senior software developers? Here is the reason why, and today in this article we are going to talk about that same thing. If you make all these mistakes, then right now stop, otherwise you will face a lot of problems.

Reason 1: Using ChatGPT and Stack Overflow Blindly

When you have a problem or encounter an error, you go to ChatGPT, you go to Stack Overflow, or somewhere else, and you directly paste the code. You should never do this. If you are copying and pasting code from anywhere, first understand what that code is doing—like why your code is not running or why another piece of code is running. Then, understand and override that code so that you truly grasp it.

Understanding the Copy-Pasting Code

Okay, further on—if in the future a similar issue comes up, I don’t have to copy-paste blindly. Copy-pasting isn’t a bad thing; every developer does it, and even senior engineers do it. The difference between a senior engineer and a junior engineer is that whenever they copy-paste the code, they understand what exactly it does, why it’s running or not running, and what might be causing the issue. Whenever you copy-paste a code, you always need to take the time to understand it first. This is a request to everyone: if you are ever copying and pasting code, first understand that code—then only copy-paste. Do not copy-paste blind.

Reason 2: Lack of System Design and Scalability

The second reason is that many do not use any sort of system design or consider scalability. This happens many times—lots of people work in service-based products or companies, but they are not at a high level in the team. They get repetitive tasks day in and day out, and they never really learn what to do beyond that repetitive task. They are not able to understand how professional-level code is written.

Work on Personal Projects and Learn Design Patterns

In many companies, there are no proper code reviews. Everyone just goes in, does their own thing, pushes their code, and if an error comes up, they fix it. That’s the problem. Instead, you should work on personal projects and learn design patterns. You cannot always fight with the company or with someone else; when you know what to do, you can work on your own projects.

Apply system design, scalability topics, and design patterns because design patterns are very important whenever you work on production or write any good-level code. Everything is freely available—learn these things. Use ChatGPT or take courses if you need to. As long as your skills are improving, you don’t have to worry about money because money can be re-earned, but time you can’t earn back. So, upskill continuously.

Reason 3: Not Taking Ownership

The third reason is that many software engineers are not able to take ownership of their projects. When work comes to you, as a junior developer, you try to quickly handle it. But when you are a senior developer, you take complete ownership. If something comes your way, you say, “This I will properly build, I will test it, then only deploy it.” As a junior, you might not get to learn all these steps.

Further on Ownership and Responsibility

Even if you are working in a company where the protocols aren’t there, you should stop and ask yourself, “Am I doing the right thing?” After three or four years, you have to become a senior software engineer, and that means taking complete ownership of your projects. You have to test your code, debug it, and deploy it yourself. The sooner you start taking this ownership, the more benefits you will reap.

Salary Expectations and Testing End-to-End

And let’s be real—along with your salary, your expectations of how much you can increase it might not be as high as you think. After four or five years of experience, your salary may double, but that isn’t the only measure of growth. If you want to become a good developer, take ownership of whatever responsibility comes your way, test your work end-to-end, and communicate when problems arise.

Reason 4: Poor Communication Skills

Next, poor communication skills are a major barrier. Many are not able to speak well or connect with their project manager or client. This lack of communication is another key reason why most people are not able to become senior software engineers. Often, it’s because they are very introverted. If you can’t effectively communicate what you’re doing or what you need, it will hold you back from taking the project’s ownership and advancing your career.

Reason 5: Not Upskilling

So, what do you have to do if you want to become a senior software engineer? Everyone’s dream is to one day become a senior software developer, lead a team, and see their salary increase. But it starts with upskilling. Not everyone comes from a background that makes communication or technical growth easy, but you must not stop. You have to begin improving step by step.

Taking Initiative to Learn New Technologies

If you don’t know system design, design patterns, or how things like indexing and caching work, then you have to take that initiative. The moment you start taking ownership of your learning, you’re walking the same path as all senior software engineers. Upskilling is not just about doing what you’re already comfortable with—if you’re a back-end developer, learn about RabbitMQ, Redis, Kafka, and similar technologies. If you’re a front-end developer, polish your UI skills, and try to get hands-on experience with back-end technologies as well.

Consistency and Long-Term Growth

Upskilling doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time—six, seven months, or even a year of steady work—before you can jump to a senior software developer position. The key is to upskill yourself day by day.

Final Thoughts

If you are making mistakes like copying and pasting code without understanding it, not taking project ownership, not upskilling, or having poor communication skills, then it’s time to change immediately. If you want to become a senior software engineer in three to four years, start taking the right steps today. And if you’re moving in the right direction, keep going; if not, ask someone—or even ask yourself—how you can steer in the correct direction.
That’s it for this article. I hope you found it helpful. If you have any comments or thoughts, please leave them below. If you liked this article, let me know in the comments as well. Until next time, goodbye and thank you!

I have published this original story in the following link:

80% of Software Engineers Fail to Become Senior Developers — And Here’s Why

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