Tips for technologists: How to become a senior software engineer

We all strive for greatness; to excel in our chosen careers, to push ourselves forward and find new challenges. In a constantly evolving industry like technology, the need to grow and develop is even greater, as you’re required to keep up with the pace. You have to be one step ahead, learning new things and practicing old ones, whilst ensuring that you avoid the dreaded burnout!

With more developers and engineers graduating from colleges and courses, technologists need to keep their skills sharp. So, if you’re a junior or mid-level software engineer, how do you stand out from the crowd, and make the leap into a senior software engineer role? Let’s find out…

What is a Senior Software Engineer?

The career path for software engineers generally consists of three stages: junior, mid-level, and senior. Junior engineers usually have 0-3 years experience and have preliminary experience with applications, while mid level engineers have 2 to 4 years and work on bigger projects. To get to the senior level, you generally need to have had 4 to 10 years experience in the role. The best method of assessing seniority is dependent on companies you’ve worked for, projects and tech stacks. Expertise in chosen tech stacks and experience are the first qualities associated with senior engineer roles. 

While it’s essential to be highly-skilled and have several projects under your belt, having a good understanding of the business side of technology can boost your career further. Senior software engineers are required to manage the entire software development lifecycle for an organization, to make decisions about design and implementation, to help mentor and train other team members, and to communicate efficiently with the c-suite and stakeholders.

In other words… it’s a big job! 

So how do you get started on your journey to becoming a senior software engineer? 

Research, research, research!

Every senior software engineer takes full responsibility for their projects, which means they need to have a deep understanding of how things work. You can’t just know one programming language really well. You need to understand and research the finer details – algorithms, the IT environment, data structures, and other things that transform ideas into reality. Research topics using some IT journals and magazines, catch up on the latest technical tutorials and see what’s coming ahead in the technology world. 

Learn from the best

In a technology landscape that is constantly evolving it’s critical for software engineers to keep up with the latest innovations and recent trends in the IT industry. 

Find some courses and tutorials that will help you to expand your areas of expertise. When analysing upcoming tech stack trends, explore related topics more in-depth. Using online courses, blogs, podcasts and books from some of the world’s greatest thought leaders, you can deepen your knowledge. And don’t forget, practice makes perfect! Look for practical ways to hone your craft, such as taking part in Hackathons, joining conferences and workshops, and pair programming. 

Don’t limit yourself to code either – explore other fields like product management, working methodologies, and other aspects that are part of building a digital product.

Show off your expertise

We told you to learn from the best – and to do that you also need to ensure you’re an expert yourself! Being recognized by other engineers as a thought leader and mentor can really help you on your career path.  There are many different ways you can share knowledge, such as speaking at events and conferences, organizing meetups, contributing to open-source projects, writing blogs, and taking part in mentorship programs. 

By optimizing your performance and sharing your knowledge with wider teams you’re centering yourself as an expert. Senior software engineers care about the coding and technology community and aim to improve it for everyone, by helping to promote best practices, initiate discussions about projects, discuss complex problems and develop creative solutions.

Teamwork is dreamwork 

There’s no better way to solve a problem than to brainstorm with a team – and being a team player is essential to both your own success and the success of the company you work for.

Ensure that your team members feel comfortable about approaching you to discuss challenges or doubts, and that you communicate any ideas clearly, in an engaging way. 

Get to know your clients

Communication is key to a career as a senior software engineer, as from day to day you could be engaging directly with clients and stakeholders on various projects.

Becoming a senior software engineer isn’t just about wowing clients with your incredible coding knowledge – you need to communicate well and successfully interact with business stakeholders and clients. Take the time to reach out to clients and peers, understand their needs . Schedule some one to one Zoom calls and book in regular weekly catch ups. The more you get to know your clients – as well as honing your communication skills – the better you will be at building long-lasting relationships in the industry. 

We’re looking for people just like you!

At Andela, we thrive on connecting brilliance with opportunity. We’re seeking the most dynamic, talented and skilled technologists to join our ever growing network, so we can help to match them with roles at some of the world’s most exciting organizations. From senior developers to software engineers, we’re placing talent in fantastic, life changing roles all around the world, regardless of location.

If you’re looking for a new challenge and to fully step into a senior software engineer role, we’re here to help.

All you need to do to join the Andela Talent Network is to follow our four step sign-up process:

1. Submit your details via our online application. 
2. Complete an English fluency test – 15 minutes.
3. Complete a technical assessment on your chosen skill (Python, Golang etc.) – 1 hour.
4. Meet with one of our Senior Developers for a technical interview – 1 hour.

Visit the Andela Talent Network and let us match you with your future.

We’re waiting to meet you! 

If you found this blog useful, check out our other blog posts for more essential insights!

Are you a developer interested in growing your software engineering career? Apply to join the Andela Talent Network today.

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