Morshed Software engineering can be quite difficult, especially when you are a newbie. It takes a lot of effort, time, and commitment to become a software engineer. You might be content with your present status as a software engineer, but there is more to software engineering than just being a software engineer. You need to be a senior software engineer, which requires more than you’ve ever put in.
Many people are into software engineering because of passion, money, or other reasons. To become a senior software engineer, you need to move higher from these reasons and make software engineering your lifestyle. This has caused many engineers to go about asking questions on how to become a senior software engineer.
Becoming a senior engineer requires you to understand the rudiments of the career. It does not only need you to have a bachelor’s degree but also follow laid down steps and procedures to attain the senior role. Let’s talk about the steps to guide you on how to become a senior software engineer.
Steps on How to Become a Senior Software Engineer
You have to follow the steps if you are on the quest to become a senior software engineer. These steps guide you and set you on the right path for insightful and dynamic thinking that will help you as a software engineer.
Here are the steps;
Step 1: Choose Your Preferred Path and Stick to IT
In everything you do, make sure you are perfect with it. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of choosing a specialty or technical stack you’ll be working with. Sticking to it and getting focused is what will help you become that senior developer that you require.
Choosing your specialty requires knowing what you want to do or what you feel you do best. For example, you can specialize yourself in web development, DevOps, or mobile development. You need to choose one of these and perfect it to set your path as a senior software engineer.
You also need to choose a technical stack within your chosen specialty. For example, you can choose between Python and Django, Ruby on Rails, MEAN, and lots more. You can also choose between android and iOS if you choose mobile. You need to develop yourself on this specialty and technical stack.
Choosing this path and specializing in it will help you stay focused and spend less time on irrelevances. On this mission of becoming a senior software engineer, the focus is key. You need to focus on this specialty, work on it, and perfect it.
Choosing and focusing on one specialty does not mean you should not familiarize yourself with other things, but it keeps you in check not to divulge from your goals. You can learn other kinds of stuff outside your specialty, but “don’t be a jack of all trade that will end up being a master of none.”
After choosing your specialty, you should know you have a lot of things to learn. It can take several years to learn them all and perfect your skills, and slacking won’t do it much. Get the necessary books, read them, and practice the necessary skill to master your chosen specialty. You can also take online courses to learn more. Get through your challenge with a particular skill at a time.
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Step 2: Lay Your Foundations Right
You need a good way to start up on your programming skills. Choosing your specialty shows you the path to choose while laying your foundations shows you how to start your journey. You need to read the necessary books that will teach you the rudiments of software mastery.
You can read different books depending on your preference, but whatever your choice, make sure the book is worth your time. Make sure the book covers technology and language agnostic that will help you perfect your software engineering skills. Whatever your technical stack, the main principles remain the same.
Step 3: Perfect Your Programming Language
One factor that differentiates a junior developer from a senior is their level of programming language perfection. Senior software developers have a high level of programming language perfection, while junior developers just try to know their language basics.
There are different programming languages to learn. And you will be using different languages daily, depending on your choice of the technical stack. For example, an AngularJS developer will use Javascript most of the time, while Ruby on Rails developers will primarily use Ruby.
You need to identify your choice of language and master it for your career path. You need to learn and master this language as you will use it every day as a senior software developer. To master your language, read advanced books on it and keep practicing. You can also read books written by other senior software engineers to guide you through the learning process.
Step 4: Learn and Perfect Your Framework
The framework is also necessary when mastering your software engineering skills. You need to choose one that pertains to your technical stack and learn it. Learn and perfect your framework to become a senior software developer.
Step 5: Master Your Text Editor/IDE
A text editor is one of the vital tools of a software developer. You need to master your operations on your text editor to become a senior engineer. If you can’t be a master of your text editor, you have little chance of joining the list of senior software engineers.
Choose your preferred text editor and be a master of it. Learn the tools of your editor, their use, and sync them into your style. If you can master your text editor, you are a few steps into becoming a senior engineer.
Step 6: Carry Out Test Driven Development
The senior title in software engineering does not come easy and it is not about writing articles or blog posts. Sometimes, you need to move out of your comfort zone and take some steps. And one of those steps is to carry out test-driven development.
The test is one of the few ways you can keep yourself evaluated on your skills and level as a software engineer. Computer science is just like every other science where you need to carry out a test to get something. Automated testing can also be of relevant help in this case.
For you to write quality codes and become a senior engineer, you need to be writing unit tests. You can also make use of test driven development that suits your tech stack.
Step 7: Cultivate the Habit of Refactoring
Refactoring is an essential habit you need to learn if you want to become a senior software developer. Refactoring refers to the process of changing a software system in a way the function of the code does not get altered but improves its internal structure. All senior developers are good with refactoring, so you should too if you want to reach their level.
The complexity of a codebase grows as you add more functionality to it. You need to refactor it as you go to help you keep the codebase manageable. If you do not refactor, you will reach a stage whereby you will encounter so many bugs, and every small change becomes hard. You need to learn how to refactor in software development to maintain fewer bugs, or best, no bugs at all.
Nobody wants a messy code base, so you should not delay your refactor. You can get books and read on how to refactor your codebase. Learn it, master it, and apply it to our codebase at intervals to make your work easier for yourself and beautiful for your audience.
Step 8: Learn Software Architecture
Software architecture is also an essential part of being a senior software engineer. Computer science is quite broad, so you need to choose your specialty and your tech stack. Now, the software architecture you choose depends on your stack. You have to choose the architecture that fits your chosen stack.
You can read several books concerning architecture, but you have to choose the one that best suits your stack. You have to understand the fundamental structures of your software system before you can ace its operations. Each structure comprises software elements and the relation between them.
Step 9: Utilize the Command Line
The command line can be quite difficult and frustrating to use at first, but you become a better developer as you learn to master it. The command line can give you an edge over other team members, defining you as a senior software engineer.
After learning and mastering how to use the command line, you can move to the next level and learn how to use the shell to automate common tasks. With these little jinxes of perfection, you can become the senior developer you want to be.
Step 10: Keep Practicing
If you do not practice, you will start to discover you are deteriorating in your skills. You need to put whatever you’ve learned into practice. Keep practicing, keep coding, and keep your excellence burning.
Hint Step:
Finding yourself asking questions on how to become a senior software engineer comes easy. However, getting to this senior stage requires a lot more than speech. It requires a lot of commitment, time, discipline, and resources. And you have to put in all of these and more to get the best result.
Whatever branch of computer science you are into, be it web development, code reviews and code writing, or even a junior developer, you can make it big if you put in the right resources. There is a high demand for computer engineers in the job market with high salaries, making it a big investment. All you need is to take on this challenge and get a free ticket to this luxury.
Simple and Effective Tips to Be a Senior Software Developer
Some tips will help you improve the technical and common skills needed to be a software engineer. These tips will help you set your career goals, enhance your knowledge, help you integrate new ideas, cultivate a growth mindset, and lots more. In other words, these tips will make you better with codes.
Here are some tips to follow;
Take Full Responsibility
Being the ultimate man with the code is not an easy task. It needs you to take full responsibility whether among your team members, in your company, or other industries. You need to have full knowledge and understanding of how the code or software development process works.
You need to understand the mechanism behind the IT environment, including the elements that transform business value and ideas into working software products. It also requires you to understand the logic and principles that govern your framework, tech stack, code, or your job in general.
Keep Learning
Learning does not have a final stage. You keep learning every day, and that doesn’t stop. This is also applicable to software engineers. Choosing a career in code writing or programming requires you to keep learning every day. It will allow you to make use of any new feature in your niche.
In the programming world, things keep changing, including technology itself. You must keep up with these innovations if you want to remain a senior in software engineering. You have to remain to be up-to-date with the knowledge of your code(s). Learn the changes and understand how it works, so you can improve your old code for an enhanced one.
Learning also helps you cultivate a growth mindset which is essential for your career. You should read books that pertain to your tech stack and specialty. You can also visit any open platform or take online courses to help you learn more about your skills.
You can also have a team of skillful developers in the industry. You can rub minds with team members to improve your skill and be a better developer for your company or your industry as a whole. You can also explore multiple fields of programming to be able to communicate well with other programmers with different tech stacks.
Be Good with What You Do
What differentiates a senior developer from a junior is excellence. You have to be good at what you do. You need to aim to be the best in your specialty, among your team, in your company, or wherever you find yourself. Being good at what you do will mark your beginning as a senior software engineer.
You can create a mental model to help you become better with your development skills. Mental models serve as an explanation of your thought process on a software project. Having an excellent mental model can help you improve your result or output as a software engineer.
There are also platforms you can use to help you be better and more efficient with your operations. An example of these platforms is stack overflow, where developers can learn, build careers, and share ideas with other developers. Another of these platforms is the medium app, where you can contact a team of developers to help with your job.
Be a Team Player
Everyone knows being in a team helps make the job easier. Be that developer that can work in a team and deliver enhanced results and output. Have good social and emotional skills and intelligence that will help you communicate with other team members.
As a senior developer, you need to be encouraging, cooperative, and emphatic. You need these skills when working with a team in your company or business. Being in a team also helps you focus more on your job’s goals and objectives, ensuring a higher chance of success.
As a senior software developer, other team members should feel comfortable and confident to discuss their challenges with you. If you do not put yourself in this position, they won’t come to you when they have issues in the future. And this can be detrimental to the team’s success. Even a non-technical person should be able to approach you freely.
Be Ready to Share Your Knowledge
One common attribute of a senior engineer is s(he) is ready to share knowledge. He teaches other members of the team in case a problem comes up in the future. To be a senior engineer, you need to be ready to share your knowledge with other developers in your company or business.
Sharing your knowledge to members of your company or business helps reduce the complexity of your task to medium work. It is because you won’t have to be the only one that shoulders the responsibility of solving the problem. Teamwork becomes highly efficient.
Make the Right Connections
As a senior engineer, you need to connect with the right people to ensure your growth. Mix with other developers, heads of companies, and other important personalities that can help improve your career and monetize your skills. With these tips, you can set yourself on the part of becoming a senior software engineer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to become a senior software engineer?
Becoming a senior software engineer is hard, and it takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of commitment, and this can go on for years. People have a different learning rate, but on average, it takes about 5 to 8 years to become a senior software engineer.
How do you become a senior software engineer?
Becoming a senior software engineer requires you to follow series of steps. You also need to have the requirements for becoming a software engineer. You can also take note of simple tips to help you attain your senior status.
What is a good salary for a senior software engineer?
There is good pay for senior software engineers. In few years of becoming a senior engineer, you can earn thousands of dollars as a salary. Different software engineers earn different amounts of money depending on their expertise, experience, or even chance. On average, senior software engineers earn about $100,000 or more.
What makes a software engineer senior?
What makes a software engineer a senior is his/her level of expertise or professionalism. Senior engineers know how to make architectural decisions, implement design patterns, and write proper tests. They also know how to ensure security and high-class performance in every one of their operations. Senior developers also have a good understanding of how a code works, is written, and is implemented.
