You just finished a bootcamp or completed your computer science degree. You’ve got some coding skills and a portfolio. Now what?
The path from junior engineer to senior engineer isn’t as mysterious as it seems. And contrary to what some might tell you, it’s not just about technical skills.
Year 1-2: The Junior Phase
Your job is to ship code and learn your codebase. Stop worrying about:
- Mastering every language
- Knowing “advanced” patterns
- System design interviews
Focus on:
- Writing code that works and can be understood by others
- Shipping features (not perfection)
- Learning how your company builds software
- Building relationships with your team
Year 3-5: The Mid-Level Phase
Now you know how to code. The question is: can you make decisions that affect multiple systems?
This is where scope expands. You stop thinking about your feature and start thinking about:
- How your code integrates with other systems
- Technical decisions that affect team velocity
- Mentoring junior engineers
- Contributing to architecture discussions
Year 5+: The Senior Phase
Senior engineers are multipliers. They:
- Make decisions that affect the whole organization
- Unblock other engineers
- Build culture and share knowledge
- Think long-term about technical health
The technical skills you had as a junior still matter. But the multiplier effect comes from everything else.