Being a junior, mid-level, or senior developer isn’t just about years of programming experience you have. A junior developer can even be older than a senior developer. It all comes down to skill.
But more than just coding skills, it is what differentiates the senior developer from the junior and mid-level developer. So what exactly are the differences?
1. Years of experiences
A junior level programmer is a professional who has less than two years of experience. If he is above this time, then he can be considered mid-tier. For his part, from the age of 10 he can be called a senior programmer.
It should be noted that depending on how hard you work, the timeframes could get shorter and you could achieve that title much sooner.
2. Technical knowledge
Senior programmers are expected to have a series of skills that allow them to identify the most appropriate tools for each project according to the client’s needs.
3. The way to write a code
An advanced programmer will write their code in a way that someone who didn’t write it can understand and use it as quickly as possible. With this system you can add other features or fix bugs without wasting too much time.
The mid-level programmer is in a gray area in this regard as they code functionally but still can’t be understood by another programmer without help. However, he is in the process of becoming an expert, creating an increasingly clean and explanatory result.
4. Other differentiating factors
Junior programmers are usually in charge of simple tasks with low impact on the overall progress of the projects, and do not do any software architecture design. Mid-level programmers don’t design solutions either, they just perform specific tasks. In contrast, senior programmers are prepared to develop software from start to finish independently.
We can summarize their differences in that, to grow as a junior developer you should focus on writing simple code and going through multiple development cycles. To get from a mid-level to senior developer you should focus on learning more than just fixing routine tasks. You should be willing to take the hardest tasks and be a master of your tech stack. Another responsibility of a senior developer is to be the fallback for less experienced developers.