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Dear Devranters,

I am once again asking for your knowledge support.

I've been working as a legacy dev for a couple of years now and that is... pretty much it. I am kinda of a mid guy. So I tried to apply here and there and ... I got a number of offers from junior to senior roles in ranges from +/- 50% of my salary.

I am kind of a pesimist. It does look tempting to go for the top senior position with the coolest tech and most salary... but there should be a catch.. right? I am not a great dev and some of the companies have noted that I should be more of a junior dev. I havent worked with most of the tech stacks.

Question: Have you had similar experiences and which job would u pick?

Comments
  • 2
    are you good with people?
    Maybe become a teacher?
    A job around that field that doesn't involve you writing code daily. But one that needs the knowledge of a Programmer.
    Good CompSci teacher are sought after.
  • 5
    I’d say unless you’re absolutely miserable where you work, definitely don’t go for a company where you’ll be making less. Maybe aim for a position with 0-10% higher salary and where you have knowledge at least of the core technologies that will ne required to do the job. If your technical “limits” are considered to be a problem during the interview process, make sure you highlight other things such as experience in the field, ability to adapt, being a team player or whatever. Being a developer is not just about technical skills.
    Anyway, good luck if you do decide to switch companies!
  • 3
    Aside from anything else, you are not a junior.

    For me junior needs constant hand holding, mid needs some guidance, senior provides some guidance.

    It takes weeks and months to become useful on a tech stack. Software design skills and background knowledge are mostly universal.

    One company told me I was a junior because I hadn't used AWS and I showed them a modularised monolith personal project instead of microservices (idiots. I'm not going to add the overhead of service orientated architecture to a personal project that only I work on and isn't that big), the next lead architect.
  • 1
    if you feel comfortable: go for it, do not burn bridges on your way so that you can go back if needed
  • 1
    There isn’t necessarily a catch. If it is what you want and they pay well, go for it! And there seems to be no common definition of junior. Considering your amount of practice, you could say that you are senior and you can absolutely apply to a senior position.
  • 1
    @heyheni I teach in my current company. I also have some team lead tasks. Teaching is cool but i don't vibe with children
  • 0
    @black-kite well, I was honest. I told em I don't know shit :D i don't care much foe money
  • 2
    I don't regret choosing to teach people HTML+CSS. If I advance, it will give me more buck and I'll eventually go with another programme (or make my own textbook and sell it). Although, I feel confident enough in this one. Like, in most cases I don't even need 30+ minutes of preparations.

    In this position, I feel more control over things and don't need stupid corporate shinenigans. Guess, I'm lucky to meet a normal responsible employer, what a surprise.
  • 0
    > some companies noted that I should be a junior dev...

    I would advise not going to those companies.

    I would also advise you to learn basics of any tech that you are applying for. If you apply in the same industry that you are working in, you wouldn't have much problems even if you change stacks.

    Be sure to check reviews on companies and in interviews ask them about work hours and responsibilities expected of you. Ask what they cover in orientation and initial trainings.

    Make sure you have thought about why you want to move. Knowing the reason and committing to it will help you stay cool even if something goes wrong or if you discover a 'catch' later.
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