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Software Development

A Quick Guide to Software Developer Hierarchy

Clock 15 min read
Howdy Expert

By Darío Macchi

Developer Advocate

Darío Macchi is a Howdy Software Engineer with more than two decades of experience. He fell in love with programming at age 11, when he taught himself to code while tinkering with video games on his first computer, an Intel 386.

At Howdy, Darío captains the development team in the Marketing department, supporting developers to solve problems and providing the team with forward-thinking solutions. As a Developer Advocate, Darío is the voice of the Howdy dev team, communicating their feedback and concerns, developing blog posts and resources, speaking at events, and representing Howdy in the broader dev community. Darío lives in Montevideo, Uruguay, where he enjoys cultivating bonsai trees.

Content

    Unlike other fields, software engineering seniority isn't standardized. Generally, the accepted hierarchy follows a progression from junior to mid-level to senior roles.

    In this article, we'll break down the different developer hierarchy levels and explain what matters when we talk about seniority.

  1. Junior Developers (Ticket Closers)

    2. First up, we have junior developers, the base of the developer foundation. On a dev team, junior developers typically have the least amount of professional experience and work under the guidance of mid-level and senior developers.

    As the nickname suggests, ticket closers are team members who spend most of their time closing tickets and executing day-to-day functions. Often utilized for urgent task resolution rather than long-term solutions, ticket closers usually don't get much say in decision-making or strategic planning.

    Being a ticket closer isn’t a bad thing. Any dev team worth its code knows that they must rely on the junior devs to handle standard tasks and help get things done.

  2. Mid-Level Developers (Problem Solvers)

    3. Also known as semi-senior or intermediate developers, these practiced devs have gained some experience and can work independently on projects and handle complex assignments.

    Semi-senior developers are also known as problem solvers. These tend to be more flexible developers who can juggle multiple tasks, know how to prioritize tasks by importance, and can help delegate tasks throughout the team.

    The best problem solvers are communication experts, regularly collaborating with junior and senior colleagues to fix issues and share discoveries. These devs step up when things get tough while acting as a support system for the rest of the team.

  3. Senior Developers: (Problem Framers)

    4. Seasoned engineers with a deep understanding of programming concepts and tech, senior developers coordinate and implement overall strategy. These professionals often lead projects, mentor junior developers, and make high-level design decisions.

    Senior devs are also known as problem framers. These are devs who can identify challenges and opportunities, guided by their years of experience and understanding of the business.

    Problem framers are software developers at heart — meaning they have extensive knowledge of different programming languages, tech concepts, and software development methods. In addition to being whizzes at writing code, problem framers have a knack for designing software systems, resolving issues independently, and scheming up solutions for complex problems. The best problem framers are talented leaders who are adept at communicating with teammates and clients to rapidly transform business processes into code.

    The best leaders have intimate knowledge of how to best execute the tasks they delegate to the team, so the ideal problem framers have spent plenty of time as both problem solver and ticket closer at some point in their careers.

  4. The bottom line

    5. Ultimately, devs of all levels play important roles in development projects. If you have a project that needs development services, Howdy can help you build a team with the right experience level to fit your business's needs. To learn more, book a demo now.

Unlike other fields, software engineering seniority isn't standardized. Generally, the accepted hierarchy follows a progression from junior to mid-level to senior roles.

In this article, we'll break down the different developer hierarchy levels and explain what matters when we talk about seniority.

Junior Developers (Ticket Closers)

First up, we have junior developers, the base of the developer foundation. On a dev team, junior developers typically have the least amount of professional experience and work under the guidance of mid-level and senior developers.

As the nickname suggests, ticket closers are team members who spend most of their time closing tickets and executing day-to-day functions. Often utilized for urgent task resolution rather than long-term solutions, ticket closers usually don't get much say in decision-making or strategic planning.

Being a ticket closer isn’t a bad thing. Any dev team worth its code knows that they must rely on the junior devs to handle standard tasks and help get things done.

Mid-Level Developers (Problem Solvers)

Also known as semi-senior or intermediate developers, these practiced devs have gained some experience and can work independently on projects and handle complex assignments.

Semi-senior developers are also known as problem solvers. These tend to be more flexible developers who can juggle multiple tasks, know how to prioritize tasks by importance, and can help delegate tasks throughout the team.

The best problem solvers are communication experts, regularly collaborating with junior and senior colleagues to fix issues and share discoveries. These devs step up when things get tough while acting as a support system for the rest of the team.

Senior Developers: (Problem Framers)

Seasoned engineers with a deep understanding of programming concepts and tech, senior developers coordinate and implement overall strategy. These professionals often lead projects, mentor junior developers, and make high-level design decisions.

Senior devs are also known as problem framers. These are devs who can identify challenges and opportunities, guided by their years of experience and understanding of the business.

Problem framers are software developers at heart — meaning they have extensive knowledge of different programming languages, tech concepts, and software development methods. In addition to being whizzes at writing code, problem framers have a knack for designing software systems, resolving issues independently, and scheming up solutions for complex problems. The best problem framers are talented leaders who are adept at communicating with teammates and clients to rapidly transform business processes into code.

The best leaders have intimate knowledge of how to best execute the tasks they delegate to the team, so the ideal problem framers have spent plenty of time as both problem solver and ticket closer at some point in their careers.

The bottom line

Ultimately, devs of all levels play important roles in development projects. If you have a project that needs development services, Howdy can help you build a team with the right experience level to fit your business's needs. To learn more, book a demo now.