{"id":45394,"date":"2023-06-23T06:39:07","date_gmt":"2023-06-23T13:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/?p=45394"},"modified":"2023-08-18T08:41:43","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T15:41:43","slug":"become-senior-software-engineer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/software-engineering\/become-senior-software-engineer\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Become a Senior Software Engineer in 7 Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Starting at junior, progressing to mid-level, and then getting promoted to senior is the typical career path for almost all software engineers. The role of senior software engineer comes with many perks: more influence, more freedom, and of course, better pay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it takes time, experience, and continuous learning to achieve this goal, and it can be difficult to know where to start. Unfortunately, some measurements of experience and expertise are only apparent to those who already have them\u2014that\u2019s where this guide comes in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve put together seven actionable steps that will help you focus your efforts in the right direction and help you get promoted to a senior software engineering role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does a Senior Software Engineer Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being promoted from a software engineer<\/a> to a senior software engineer can look different depending on your specific role and company. Sometimes, the title change can come with a transition into management. In other cases, it\u2019s a recognition of your growing experience and expertise with no immediate change to your day-to-day tasks. Once you earn the title of senior, you may be expected to do a few new things, such as mentoring juniors and contributing to the technical direction of a project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Become a Senior Software Engineer: A Seven-Step Guide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what you can do to get that promotion as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\n
    \n
  1. \n

    Have a Roadmap<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n

    Hone Your Skillset<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  3. \n

    Get the Relevant Experience<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  4. \n

    Strengthen Your Leadership Abilities<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  5. \n

    Build Your Network<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  6. \n

    Find a Mentor<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  7. \n

    Apply to a Senior Software Engineer Role at a New Company or Ask for a Promotion<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

    Have a Roadmap<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Roadmaps can help some individuals set goals and work towards them more easily, though it\u2019s important to stay flexible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re aiming for an internal promotion, make yourself aware of the next performance review date and make this your deadline. Then, you can think of some goals and achievements that will add strength to your candidacy for promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This could include mentoring a more junior member of the team, being more vocal with your big-picture ideas, or adding your voice to the decision-making process. It\u2019s also important to network internally and help teams in other departments with their bugs and pull requests. The more people that know your name, the better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When the performance review comes around, you can discuss your aspirations with your manager and talk about what you\u2019ve already done to work towards these goals. If your manager doesn\u2019t yet think that you\u2019re ready for a senior software engineering role, then hopefully, they\u2019ll tell you what areas you need to work on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019d prefer to transition to a senior position through a new job, the process is largely the same. The only difference is that you\u2019ll be gathering achievements to list on your resume and talk about in interviews<\/a>, rather than in performance reviews. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hone Your Skillset<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Of course, developing your skills is another essential part of progressing your software engineering career<\/a>. When you began working as a junior software engineer, you probably focused on your technical skills\u2014this is what hiring managers probably paid attention to as well. And you\u2019ll need to keep working on these to become a senior software engineer too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, now that you\u2019ve spent years in a professional work environment, you will be expected to have excellent soft skills as well. These don\u2019t come naturally to everyone, so it\u2019s important to actively develop them, just the same as you do technical skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Technical Skills<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    As a software engineer, there are endless areas where you can expand your knowledge. When you\u2019re aiming for a promotion, it\u2019s important to focus on areas that are relevant to the role you have or relevant to the role you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The specifics of what you should learn completely depend on your role and your company. Perhaps you could benefit from having a deeper understanding of assembly language, or perhaps you work closely with artists and need more knowledge about their workflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There are also some core technical skills that you should always be developing and practicing, such as your debugging and programming skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Soft Skills<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Sharing and advocating for ideas is an essential soft skill for senior software engineers. This requires practice in explaining complex concepts, creating and giving presentations, and understanding who needs to know what. Opportunities to develop these skills won\u2019t often land in your lap, so it\u2019s important to set them as personal goals and actively work toward them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Other important communication skills and soft skills to work on include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n