Defining Seniority
"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward." - Vernon Law
Seniority is a topic that feels a bit tricky for me to tackle1. At 23 years old, it’s fair to question whether I have the authority to speak on it at all. I’m at the beginning of my career, staring down the many winding paths that could lead to higher pay, more impactful work, and increased responsibility. Or so I’ve been led to believe.
Career advancement is something we all seem to chase, regardless of where we are now or where we started. For some, it's about landing that promotion that’s been dangled in front of them all year. For others, it's the thrill of starting a new job, filled with the promise of a brighter future. But what unites all these driven individuals is the belief that experience is the key to unlocking these doors. It sharpens our skills, lengthens our resumes, and positions us as qualified for the next big role. We often bestow the title of "Senior" on those who have accumulated more experience or shouldered greater responsibilities—whether that’s a Manager, Tech Lead, or an L6. This fosters a belief that career progression is about stockpiling enough experience and work ethic to reach such heights. But there’s more to it than that.
Seniority isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept; it’s more nuanced than just time served. You can look at it from two different perspectives: absolute and relative. Absolute seniority transcends any single job or company. It’s about age, education, and your overall work history, painting a broad picture of your professional journey. On the other hand, relative seniority zooms in on your current role within a specific organization. It considers your tenure, job title, and the leadership roles you’ve taken on in projects or teams. Together, these aspects create a fuller picture of your career trajectory, influenced by both your broad experiences and specific contributions. How you and others perceive your seniority hinges on how these elements are interpreted.
Let me use my own career as an example. I’ve been working at the same tech startup, Jellyfish, for nearly four years. I was the 25th employee, and the first software engineering intern they hired. Fast forward to today, and I’ve accumulated a lot of responsibilities and experience, which positions me at a more "senior" level within the company. But here’s the rub: I only graduated from college recently, and many of my peers have been working in the software field for longer than I’ve been alive. They’ve got the edge on me when it comes to specific programming languages, best practices, and leadership skills, but they’ve been at this company for only a fraction of the time I have.
It’s clear to me now that seniority isn’t something that can be neatly boxed into traditional categories like age or years in service. It’s more about the impact of your contributions, the obstacles you’ve overcome, and the insights you’ve gained along the way. Being "senior" is less about how much time you’ve clocked and more about the depth of your understanding, the strength of your influence, and the mark you’re making in your professional landscape. We should be focusing on cultivating mentorship, leadership, confidence, and the ability to tackle challenging tasks—not just tallying up the years.
As a software engineer, I’m constantly thinking about how I can grow—whether that’s by honing my technical skills, enabling my team to ship higher-quality products, or learning from my peers and mentors about what it means to be an effective leader. No matter where you are in your career, it’s crucial to know how you want to tell your story and envision what those next chapters will look like.
Understanding your narrative allows you to shape the trajectory of your professional journey in a strategic way. It’s not just about climbing the corporate ladder, but about making meaningful contributions that align with your personal and career aspirations. It’s about envisioning the legacy you want to leave behind, the problems you aim to solve, and the ways you wish to inspire those around you. In the end, it’s about carving out a path that’s uniquely yours.
1 I first wrote this article about a month ago, and I published it thinking it was decent. After re-reading the original, I felt like it was an inauthentic expression of how I feel about seniority, and more like a mainstream think-piece. I decided to rewrite it from scratch, resulting in the blog post you're currently reading. ↩