What Differentiates a Junior, Mid-Level, and Senior Developer

First of all, I should say that companies qualify developers in different ways, and can rely on different factors. For example, the number of years of experience, even though the number does not necessarily correlate with qualifications. A person can perform the same simple tasks for several years without gaining any valuable experience, without solving a single real problem, and without getting a single bump, or they can gain real experience and improve their qualifications in one year. So at one company, the same developer can be qualified as a senior, and at another as a middle, and vice versa.

As the main criterion, I would single out the degree of ability to operate independently or the generality of the tasks that a specialist solves.

Developer levels: Junior software engineers

Junior developers solve simple technical problems with a clear and detailed description. For example, the implementation of a class, where the description should have detailed requirements, like an interface or which design pattern to apply. Junior developers do not solve business-critical problems, do not work in architecture, and work under the close supervision of senior colleagues.

Developer levels: Mid-level software engineers

Mid-Level developers, unlike junior developers, solve business-critical problems set with a more general formulation. Problems and projects do not need a detailed description of the implementation but should have clear business requirements in the form of a description of the desired functionality. A mid-level developer can think on their own about what classes they will need, what tables, templates, etc., as well as performance issues.

Developer levels: Senior software engineers

How is the senior developer different? The senior developer does not need a clear statement of the problem. They, as a rule, have a good understanding of the subject area and can offer solutions to business problems. They do not need detailed product or technical requirements, and if necessary, they can ask clarifying questions and work with the business or product directly on details. Also, the senior developer is able to decompose tasks and give some of them to mid-level or junior developers and manage their work. A senior developer thinks systematically. Junior developer mentoring can also fall on the shoulders of a senior developer. Senior developers can work on architectural problems if there is no architect or tech lead on the project.

In addition to the levels above, which do not depend on the technology stack, one can also distinguish using technical qualifications. The knowledge of certain technologies does not always correlate with the levels described above. This happens when a developer is transferred to a project with a new technology stack to them. A senior developer is expected to pick up the new tech stack quickly.

This article was written by Roman Blinov for HackerNoon and was edited and republished with permission.