It’s a transition that requires time. I still repeat programming is difficult if you rush, it requires 1000 committed hours. For you to be a qualified software developer, take time and expand your brain with massive skills.

Being a junior developer is the entry point for any programmer. You might have graduated from a 4-year CS course, or you just took 6 months of bootcamp, it doesn’t matter anyway. But be sure, people with CS degrees know a lot more than just writing code. The degree gives them an edge. Just a few skills will earn you junior developer roles. But over time, people shift to senior roles.

Questions to ask before applying for senior roles

Am I good at solving problems?

Hey, get me right, it is not a must to know everything. There are always difficult problems that a junior engineer will handle better than you. But it depends on the way you approach each task. Your skills should be a bit higher, able to collect ideas from all angles.

Do I have leadership skills?

Yes, it is a must for you to have some leadership skills to be promoted to senior engineer. It’s not a matter of experience as people suggest. But the quality to guide and lead junior engineers. What difference can you make to minors? The years you have been coding might have taught you different lessons. Be that person who can motivate other humans. Be an inspiration to your juniors, and let other workers see positive energy in you.

How many years have I been in the field?

Yes, when we talk about years, most of you relate to experiences. For a Bootcamp programmer, it might take a long time to graduate as a senior software engineer. The reason being, the 6 -12mothns course is never enough to equip you with the required software engineering skills. You know how to write codes, but lacking the knowledge on how compilers and operating systems work. For a 4 years CS degree person, its going to be easier. It can take less than 4 years for them to become senior software engineers. It will depend on what you can add to the team, your knowledge, and your ideas.

How does my resume look?

Hey, programmer let’s be sincere, I can’t offer you a senior job with a resume where there is no project and past work experience. Kindly work on quality projects and let your GitHub talk more. Even nowadays, managers want engineers who have built something and deployed it live. People hiring don’t want to see much code, but the problems you have solved from past companies you have worked for. HRs are looking for something that you have different, that can make you stand among the available junior developers. Thus you need to be smart, make your resume nearly to perfect level before applying for any senior software engineering job.

Are my skills up to date?

This is for any programmer. You need to follow the trend and be updated. But don’t put more pressure on any emerging staff. Just specialize in your area. As a senior software engineer, we expect you to be very flexible and to have done more than two/ three languages. You must be flexible to solve problems across all available teams. Let’s say you have experience in javascript, but when another team is working with java, you need to be flexible adjust and bring solutions to minor challenges.

Do you know the software engineering process?

I learned that in my second year as a CS student. For self-taught programmers and Bootcamp nerds, pic this from udemy, udacity, or YouTube. You should be able to plan for any development from the design process to the deployment process. That’s the purpose of senior/leaders. Lead your design team, programmers, and development engineers. That’s where the big difference emerges. This process should be at your fingertips.

Bonus

Don’t rush in chasing your goal. Many people yearn to be senior software engineers to get 6-figure salaries. But it comes with some consequences. Since you are a senior, managers expect everything to be done. If a junior makes a mistake, lest say on a single button, you will be answerable for that. You are going to carry the burden of everyone in your team. But don’t be afraid, it’s worth a learning process. There are more than enough bonuses.