Are you a senior software engineer?
Software engineers are a sought after resource at the moment. You will sometimes see job adverts stating someone with 4 years+ experience can satisfy the requirements of a senior software engineer. But regardless of experience, what really makes someone a senior software engineer?
1. Accountability and ownership of their code
Ownership of a project is one of the biggest steps a senior software engineer makes. No longer are they a junior engineer that can rely on their coding issues being picked up by senior engineers, now they are the last line of defence for stable, secure applications that are delivered on-time. They are 100% responsible for ensuring that the their own code and their teams code is well tested, scalable and secure.2. They can solve complex technical problems (any problem)
Senior software engineers have the expertise to look at any problem and find a solution (or undertake the required research to find a solution themselves). They sometimes work with their team members to find a solution, but they never come back to their team lead, or manager without a solution or variation of a solution. I believe this is one of the most distinguishable traits of a senior software engineer.3. They develop reusable code
Senior software engineers understand that the code they develop may be used through the command line, from a controller in an MVC framework, or even from within a unit test. They develop their code to be used in any environment without duplication. This essentially means building loosely coupled code within the platforms they work in.Service Orientated Architecture (SOA) is a really good methodology that promotes decoupling of code and reduces code duplication. Also have a read of coding to interfaces to help achieve code loosely coupled code.
4. They code for the future
Senior software engineers approach coding a solution to a problem by looking into how the component they are developing may need to be used in the future or extended in the future. They write their code so it is easily extensible and doesn't require a full re-write to add additional functionality at a later date. This is easier said than done, but after working on a variety of platforms, your past experiences in software development really help you excel in this area.5. They unit test their code
Whether you have allocated time or not, a senior software engineer should and will unit test their code. They see the benefits of automated testing and will write unit tests to cover off at least the core libraries of their codebase.Some helpful links on unit testing
6. They can estimate work effort and gather requirements
Work effort estimation is a skill that takes many years to master. It is one skill to be able to accurately estimate work effort for your own tasks, but being able to effectively estimate work effort for your team members is a really valuable skill. Although in Agile development environments the entire team is involved in work effort estimation, senior software engineers should be able to identify when work effort estimates are too low or too high and voice their concern to correct the situation.7. They mentor junior developers
It is the responsibility of the senior engineer to always look for continuous improvement within the team. That can be exposing the team to more efficient technologies, helping them write more secure code or ensuring the code is well written and unit tested. This mentorship from senior engineers to other software engineers in the team really helps move the team towards greatness.8. They have a solid understanding of programming methodologies (not just a language).
Senior software engineers have either studied or been exposed to different programming methodologies. It doesn't matter which language they are coding in, software methodologies cross over the boundary of coding languages. These best practices may enhance scalability of an e-commerce website, or provide secure APIs for mobile applications. It is important to understand that senior software engineers can take their learnings from multiple languages and frameworks and apply them to their current projects. They also find it very easy to learn new languages as they already understand the theory behind programming.9. They're always looking for areas to automate
Senior software engineers are some of the most experienced technical people within a team. They should have a good understanding of how to automate aspects of their teams work. This can include:- Partial automation of code reviews (eg: using GIT hooks to run automated tests of coding standards using tools like PHPCS or JSLint).
- Unit testing code to ensure its security and stability.
- Implementing continuous integration and deployment services - Checkout Bamboo by Atlassian
10. Complies with and promotes coding standards
Senior software engineers understand the importance of consistency of code within applications. They are responsible for ensuring coding standards are defined within their team, and that everyone within the team is following them. They should also actively review peers code and coding standards to ensure they are up to date.11. They can explain problems and solutions to non-technical people
A senior software engineer needs to be able to communicate to non-technical people. Although I have met some great senior engineers that maybe don't excel in people skills, they are still able to communicate through the use of diagrams, presentations or user stories. Communication is a crucial skill in progressing past a senior software engineer role to a team lead role.12. They are always up to date with latest technology
This is actually a hard thing to consistently maintain as there is so much technology out there that is constantly evolving. However, it is crucial that a senior software engineer does their best to stay updated (at least with technologies in their space). You don't always get to experiment with different technologies within the workplace, but side projects you work on outside of work are an amazing opportunity to explore a new framework or technology. Senior software engineers also take this one step further and look for ways to implement their learnings within their current organisation, as well as up-skilling their team members on what they have learnt.If you want to read and learn about how to become better a software engineer, check out this great post by Artur Ejsmont.
So if you can cover off most (or all) of the above, you've got a pretty impressive chance of landing that senior software engineer role you have been wanting to apply for.
Good Luck!
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