Developer seniority

Seniority levels for developers often come up in discussions, but there is rarely complete agreement about the differentiation. This topic is subjective, and multiple factors can influence what each level represents. Sometimes developers say what they want to hear, sometimes outsourcing businesses promote their developers to set better prices, and sometimes developers are promoted to the next level because of years spent in the company.

The following is a personal opinion on seniority levels and what programmers at each level need. We can divide developer seniority into multiple levels, where each level defines the developer by a combination of programming skills, learning capabilities, and soft skills. The four main levels we have for seniority are:

• Junior

• Mid-level

• Senior

• Super senior / Staff / Principal

Roles are often confused with seniority because they are sometimes linked together. Backend developer, frontend developer, and software architect are examples of such roles. Some roles, like software architects, require advanced development knowledge but do not represent seniority. For example, a Senior Developer (not a Super Senior) can be a Software Architect, but that doesn’t automatically elevate them to a Lead level.

To reiterate, seniority levels for developers should only be influenced by programming skills, learning capability, and soft skills. Now, let's explore what each seniority level represents.