CHAPTER 5 | The main stages of a software developer's growth

I would like to present here the stages of career growth for a software developer. It is quite welcome to see an overview of the stages a programmer advances through over time, so you can get a sense of the perspective and the direction you should take in a few years.

A young developer, armed only with basic knowledge of programming languages and his own passion, embarks on a long journey until he reaches the level of a skilled specialist. As software developers progress in their careers, they go through several stages, each with its own challenges and opportunities. In this short chapter, I'll go through the main stages of a software developer's growth, starting from junior level to mid-level, and finally to the senior level. I will also mention career opportunities that senior specialists can already aspire to.

In general, there are 3 levels of growth for any professional in any field of activity:

• Junior level
• Middle level
• Senior level

The first stage is the junior stage, and it lasts on average 1 to 3 years, depending on the candidate's abilities. In most cases, juniors are those learners who graduate from college or complete certain studies and enter the real professional world either through practice or through paid employment.

Becoming a junior is relatively simple because you can start as a junior through an internship for several months. It is still necessary to take at least 3-9 months of courses prior to entering this stage so that you can assimilate the subject of study and the language specific to the IT environment. There is no doubt that the more advanced and comprehensive is the study program of those courses, the faster and easier it will be for you to adapt to practical tasks.

Juniors are usually given easier tasks, and they are supervised by a senior who also serves as a mentor to help them grow professionally.

It also takes between one and three years to advance from junior to middle specialist, depending on one's abilities. As a rule, juniors are also students who need to learn a lot, do something practical, apply their knowledge, and learn the norms and standards of the organization in which they will fit.

In the second stage, people are already considered specialists, middlelevel professionals. As a rule, only people who have completed two or three years in a specific position can be considered specialists.

People at this stage are characterized as self-determined and more independent. Usually, the candidate becomes independent in making decisions and performing tasks, does not bother others with certain questions or requests, manages themselves, and can be considered experienced.

Is there anything that indicates you are already a mid-level specialist? Namely, the fact that you have become more self-determined, and more independent from other people who guided you at the junior level stage. From this point you are free to choose another suite of technologies or change your career direction, all depending on your desires and skills.

Some people, for example, migrate from the position of desktop developer to the position of web developer or mobile developer. They can take on another set of technologies, another programming language. For example, someone can migrate from C# to Java. They can choose to focus more on frontend, or back-end development, or study innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence or blockchain. This path opens new career opportunities, new growth possibilities.

The final stage, the stage of total independence that also denotes extensive experience and professionalism, is the senior stage. Seniors are people who have already completed many years of experience in a position and are already able to guide others to achieve professional growth. Seniors are characterized by indisputable skills, the desire, and the ability to work on a wide spectrum of technologies. They also have mentoring skills, leadership skills, and managerial skills. Upon reaching this stage, you will be able to obtain a variety of positions such as chief functions and managerial roles.

Seniors are responsible for making strategic decisions and setting the direction of project development. Senior programmers also work closely with customers, product managers, and designers to ensure that the software meets the necessary requirements.

More than that, senior programmers have the opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of the digital community by sharing their knowledge through blog posts, conference presentations, or open-source projects. This helps them not only to establish themselves as opinion leaders but also to stimulate the continuous education and professional growth of other IT specialists.

Figure 2 shows a scheme with different positions that a senior can opt for, and respectively there is a hierarchy of growth from one position to another, such as the position of team lead, the position of project manager, the position of head of department, and many other functions that represent for a senior a possibility of advancement. The path to managerial skills is open to any specialist. It all depends largely on personal qualities and capabilities, as well as on ambitions and circumstances.

Figure 2 Senior Developer professional growth