Matt Briggs on the role of a senior developer:
A senior developer stops classifying developers based on their knowledge, and instead understands that there is a spectrum of strengths and weaknesses. They are more intimately aware of their own strengths and weaknesses than anyone else could ever be, and strive to play to their own strengths whenever possible.
A senior developer thinks in terms of “context” when applying theory. They understand that there is no “Right Way” to build software, and that the only way to build good software is by adapting theory to fit the needs of the client, codebase, team, tools, and organization.
A senior developer understands that everything in our field involves tradeoff, and will look for what that is for design patterns, libraries, frameworks, and processes.
A senior developer thinks of more than just themselves. They are aware of how their organization and their clients work, what their values are, and what is both important and not important for success. When a ball is dropped, a senior developer will do what they can to pick it up. The phrase “this is not my job” is never, ever said in those situations.
