There’s a strange myth in tech that one day you wake up and—boom—you’re a senior developer.
You get the title.
You get the responsibility.
You get invited to meetings with no agenda.
That’s not how it actually happens.
What really happens is much less glamorous.
Year 1–2: Confidence Without Context
I thought being a good developer meant knowing more things.
Frameworks. Libraries. Clever tricks.
If a problem existed, surely the solution was:
- another abstraction
- another layer
- another tool I just discovered on Hacker News
I shipped code fast.
I also shipped problems faster.
Year 3–5: The Era of Regret
This is where the damage starts to accumulate.
You maintain code you wrote six months ago and think:
“Who let me do this?”
You realize:
- readable code beats clever code
- documentation is not optional
- naming things is the hardest problem for real, not as a joke
You stop asking “Can we build this?”
and start asking “Should we?”
Year 6+: Seniority Is Pattern Recognition
At some point, something shifts.
You’ve seen:
- the same bug with different variable names
- the same startup idea with a different pitch deck
- the same “urgent rewrite” that wasn’t
So now you’re calm—not because you know everything, but because you know how things usually fail.
You don’t rush to code anymore.
You:
- ask uncomfortable questions
- reduce scope
- delete features
- prevent disasters quietly
No one applauds this.
That’s fine.
AI Didn’t Replace Me. It Exposed Me.
As an AI + web developer, I get asked a lot:
“Aren’t you worried AI will replace you?”
Honestly? No.
AI didn’t replace developers.
It replaced pretending.
If your value was:
- typing boilerplate
- copying Stack Overflow
- knowing syntax but not systems Yeah… that part is gone.
What’s left—and more valuable than ever—is:
- judgment
- architecture
- understanding tradeoffs
- explaining why something exists
AI writes code.
Developers decide what code should exist at all.
What I Actually Do Now
Most days, my job isn’t coding.
It’s:
- turning vague ideas into solvable problems
- translating between humans and machines
- stopping “small” decisions from becoming expensive mistakes
When I do write code, it’s usually boring.
That’s intentional.
Boring code survives.
If You’re Earlier in Your Career
A few things I wish someone told me:
- Seniority is not speed. It’s restraint.
- Complexity is a liability, not a flex.
- You’ll learn more from broken systems than successful demos.
- Your future self is your most important user.
And most importantly:
Feeling confused doesn’t mean you’re bad at this.
It means you’re actually learning.
Final Thought
I didn’t become a senior developer by mastering everything.
I became one by:
- being wrong
- fixing it
- remembering the cost
- and not repeating the same mistake twice
That’s it.
That’s the secret.😎
Top comments (40)
Your article really spoke to me. That “Who let me do this?” moment — I’ve had it too, many times, usually long after the decision had already been made.
I didn’t “become” an architect on purpose. I started as a developer, tried to do things properly, took on a bit more responsibility each time… and one day I realized I was mostly dealing with structure, trade-offs, and long-term consequences rather than code itself.
Looking back, it feels less like a career path and more like an accumulation of context — and yes, some damage along the way.
What feels different now is AI. Not as a shortcut or a replacement, but as a way to externalize part of the cognitive load that used to force this evolution. It helps surface patterns earlier, question decisions sooner, and think at system level without having to burn years (or yourself) to get there.
Maybe the real shift is that future developers won’t have to ask “Who let me do this?” quite so late — they’ll grow into those roles with more awareness, and hopefully less wear and tear.
Thanks for your response.
I hope you are doing well.
Best wishes.🌟
AI didn't replace developers. It replaced pretending."
This should be the industry's new reality check. The uncomfortable truth is that AI exposed how much of "senior" work was actually just muscle memory and Stack Overflow reflexes.
What's left — judgment, tradeoffs, knowing when NOT to build — that's the real job. Always was.
Your "Era of Regret" phase hit close. We've all opened old code, seen the horrors, checked git blame... and found ourselves.
Great piece. The damage continues.
This really resonates with me — AI didn’t take away real engineering, it just stripped away the noise. What’s left is judgment and intent, and that’s the part I’m genuinely excited to see evolve; great perspective.
I think it makes sense, as senior positions are usually meant for high profiles.
Although, AI is not the ultimate impartial entity.
It won't promote elite devs and eliminate the "unskilled" ones. It's a bit more complex than that, IMHO.
This job is a constant threat to your mental health.
You're exposing yourself, because you don't feel legitimate.
What if you're actually reaching some kinda of plateau, buckle up!
I think you’re touching on something very real here—seniority isn’t just about skill, and AI definitely doesn’t simplify that complexity. I’m really interested in how you frame the mental health side of it too; it feels like a problem that needs more thoughtful, human-centered solutions going forward.🧨
I love this post. The way you break down the journey to becoming a senior developer feels so true to my own experience. The idea that it's not about mastering everything, but rather accumulating context and experience, really resonates with me. What I find really interesting is how you mention AI exposing those who relied on muscle memory and Stack Overflow reflexes - did you find that this shift in the industry has also led to a greater emphasis on mentorship and knowledge sharing among developers? (Asking as someone who is still in year 1-2)
Absolutely! I love how thoughtfully you connected your own experience to the post — it shows real reflection. I’ve definitely seen AI push more developers toward mentorship and sharing context, because raw muscle memory isn’t enough anymore, and guidance from experienced devs has become even more valuable. Keep leaning into that curiosity; it’ll accelerate your growth tremendously!
AI is powerful when used for genuinely complex tasks, but its capabilities shouldn’t be judged only through web technologies. Have you tried building a Ray Tracer in C++ using only built-in libraries? It feels impossible at first. But with a basic understanding of the language, a clear idea of what you’re building, and the right kind of guidance, AI can actually help you get there and even beyond 😊!
This is a thoughtful and inspiring perspective. You’ve highlighted perfectly how real complexity unlocks AI’s true value, and your ray tracing example is both motivating and spot-on 👏
Yes—seniority is not a switch you flip, and experience does leave scars. That part is true. But framing seniority primarily as “accumulated damage” romanticizes failure and undersells intentional growth.
Absolutely—seniority should be seen as a combination of deliberate skill development and strategic decision-making, not just the sum of mistakes endured.
"Seniority is not speed. It’s restraint." do you have a license for truth bombs like that?
"Complexity is a liability, not a flex". Yes. grugbrain.dev
Haha, that’s such a sharp take — those lines hit hard because they’re earned through experience, not ego. Love how it cuts through the noise and reminds us that real seniority is about clarity and restraint, not showing off.
Maybe! Agree with you...💪✌️
Thanks.
hello, dear Martin.
here, it's me.
Nice article, worth reading.
Thanks.
Best wishes.
Honest and refreshing. This is what “senior” really looks like behind the job title.
Your perspective is spot-on — it’s rare to see that kind of authenticity, and it’s inspiring to witness true seniority in action.