Ask HN: Mid-level developers, what does it take to qualify as Mid-level?

1 points by morbidhawk 9 years ago | 3 comments

I'm currently in the interview process for a Mid-level position, but my experience situation is kind of different from most as I interned for several years while going to school to make enough to provide for my family. I've got 1.5 years professional experience after that at the same company. I was asked if I have have the skills of a Mid or maybe somewhere on the fence between Jr and Mid. My current salary requirement needs the pay of a Mid but I don't want to jump into something if it ultimately ends with being put on an improvement plan (that's what I was told would happen). Having no clue how I compare to other Mids, as I work only with Sr devs who know more than me. I told them that I would trust their assessment.

So if I am not up to par with Mid skills, what can I do to get there and be truly qualified? What is the difference between a Mid and a Jr?

The best way I can describe my current ability is that I've been able to recognize that I didn't know all that I thought I did and I try to approach problems and knowledge with no assumptions that I know but rather realize that I can give insight and discuss strategies but I'm not intelligent enough to frequently give the best approach to problems so I definitely discuss approaches and opinions with others to learn from them.

So maybe a better question might be what level are you at once you've discovered you're ignorance and you start to use that to your advantage to really learn stuff (but definitely not someone to write a non-erroneous book on programming topics)?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

eagerNewb 9 years ago |

For eample:

Peter has been working as a developer for 4 years. Calvin has been working as a developer for 2 years.

Calvin earns the same money as Peter, why? It seems Peter didn't put in as much effort as Calvin did. Even more, Calvin learned what Peter knows, for half the amount Peter did.

You can see where I'm going with this. For me personally work experience does NOT matter.

What makes a junior developer? A junior developer knows enough to get things done. If there's a more complex task, there is a big chance he will require advice or help.

What makes a mid-level developer? A mid-level developer knows enough to get things done in a more sophisticated manner - compared to junior developers which use the same hammer for every nail, the mid-level developer utilizes different technologies for different purposes. He is not proficient, but he understands the need for different strategies.

I'm on the brink of becoming a mid-level developer. I used to tackle all of my problems with the tools I know, because I was unsure in my knowledge. Now I understand the difference. When given a more complex task, I will research what's the best way to do it, consult with senior developers and ultimately implement a solution. I'm not an expert so this is my opinion, but you sound like you are in the exact same shoes. A rising mid-level developer, but a mid-level developer non the less. Worked hard to get here as I'm sure you did. I heard this in a songs lyrics, but I use it as a motto in life - "I used to get what I'm given, now I only get what I'm worth".

morbidhawk 9 years ago | |

> junior developers which use the same hammer for every nail

This is what is weird about programming is that you only need to know a subset of things to build stuff so it gives a lot of Jr developers a false sense of know-how and confidence (I was like this for a long while). I think a willingness to own up to what you don't know and like you said "research what's the best way to do it, consult with senior developers" is a hard obstacle to get past. I wonder if this might make it hard for hiring managers to assess skill, jr devs are probably more likely to sell themselves as more than they are and mid devs might be more likely to admit what they don't know.

eagerNewb 9 years ago | | |

A thing every hiring manager should ask, at least for Software jobs, is for you to show him code you've written. The best way to understand if someone has spend two, three or five years doing this, is to read his code. In case the interviewer doesn't ask me for my code, I would do it anyway. There is always this piece of code you are particularly proud of. Perhaps creating 10 ways to achieve the same thing. Senior developers write clean, efficient code ( if they don't, they should ). Junior developers find a way and if it works, hey it works! Mid level developers write a piece of crap code, but they see it as such. They make the difference. Once the difference is maid, you can go and ask the senior developer. Or do some research. Or both. This became visible to me once I wasn't in the phase "Oh shit, I don't know how I'm going to do this."