The software engineering industry can confuse those looking to enter or move up the career ladder.
No matter where you are or how many years you've been a part of this wonderful industry, it can be tough to know where you're at or where to go next. After all, it's essential to maintain your ambition and drive to ensure you're working to the best of your ability.
Couple this with the ambiguity that companies have their own leveling structure within their hierarchy, things get confusing quickly, and you may be missing out on jobs and career opportunities that you could have secured for yourself.
So, that brings us to today's guide.
We're exploring everything you need to know about each of the five main software engineering levels, detailing the difference between them, and providing some key tips to help you make your way up.
Without further ado, let's jump in.
What are Software Engineering Levels?
As you probably know, software engineering is a profession that focuses on developing and maintaining software applications. It's big business nowadays, with every company hiring software engineers to create their apps, services, and behind-the-scenes infrastructure.
The entire modern world and its technology rely on this industry, making software engineers responsible for developing such applications, ensuring that they meet user needs and organizational requirements.
On an individual level, software engineers are typically highly specialized in certain programming languages and techniques so they can build effective, efficient applications.
But then, what do people mean when they talk about software engineering levels?
Quite simply, the career path of software engineers can be divided into different levels. These levels highlight the experience and expertise of an individual, ranging from junior or trainee engineers to senior software engineer roles.
With software engineering requiring passion, dedication, strong problem-solving skills, creative thinking abilities, advanced programming knowledge, and exceptional communication skills to produce excellent results, the leveling system simply highlights where someone is at and what they're capable of.
What are the Software Engineering Levels?
There are five main levels that software engineers can be categorized into, which is what we'll explore in this guide. However, and this is a big however, many companies rank their software engineers in different ways, so this isn't a be-all, end-all list.
Simply use these categories as a guide to help you estimate where you are, identify what you need to train or grow in to help you move up to the next level, as well as highlighting what opportunities are best for your career in the here and now.
Let's get into them
Level 1 - Junior Engineer
Pay: $90,000 a year
Don't let the trainee feeling of this starter level mislead you; entering the software engineering industry is a huge step on the career ladder and lays the foundation for a very engaging and prosperous career.
At Level 1, a junior software engineer is focused on building efficient software, typically in smaller teams. Also known as junior software engineers, these are usually new to the software engineering industry.
There's not much project ownership or authority at this level, and they're more likely to be handed coding problems that need solving to then fit into the bigger picture.
Level 2 - Senior Software Engineer
Pay: $139,000 per year
As one progresses to Level 2 (Senior Software Engineer), a software engineer will become more responsible for designing, coding, and refactoring large applications, as well as mentoring more junior engineers.
Typically, you'll need around three years of experience as a junior software engineer to reach this stage. If junior engineers are to complete tasks with guidance, management, and mistakes are expected, a senior software engineer is expected to be more independent.
Level 3 - Staff Engineer / Senior Staff Engineer
Pay: $225,560 per year
At Level 3 (Staff Engineer or Senior Staff Engineer), software engineers must prove their expertise in leading a team while also producing results in software architecture reviews. These are the mid-level software engineers that can manage multiple teams and overlook the entry-level engineers while taking care of the engineering department.
On average, it'll take about six to eight years in the industry to reach this point, and you're basically in the management zone of software engineers.
Whereas a junior software engineer or senior software engineer is told what to do and what they're working on, Level 3 senior engineers start dictating what people do and managing their project's direction.
However, you're not the head just yet. More accurately, you'll act as a middle-man between upper management and levels one and two.
Nevertheless, while working as a manager, a senior staff software engineer will still spend time coding, solving complex programming tasks, and actively working on projects along teams at different software engineering levels as an effective team.
Level 4 - Principal Engineer
Pay: Can vary dramatically
After a decade in the software engineering industry, you can reach software engineers Level 4 (Principal Engineer). Principle Engineers become leaders in technical vision, managing the performance of entire teams but also staying focused on developing high-quality code.
Now we're heading into the real elite realms of software engineering, and very few software engineers will get to this level. Also, the roles tend to get murkier here as a principle engineering manager can be responsible for whatever the company needs, depending on the needs of the company.
This is reflected in pay. The average pay in the SA area alone is around $148,633, but it can far exceed the million-dollar-a-year mark when you include compensation packages that come with the role.
Google pays their principal software engineers (known as L8s) over $907,500 in salaries alone, but this is the upper end of the industry. The top 1%.
Level 5 - Distinguished Engineer
Pay: Unlimited
There are very few Level 5 software engineers worldwide, and these are basically the top 0.5% of software engineers who are gurus in their field and have highly specialized experience like no other.
These are the individuals who have been able to create, dream up, build, and launch several massive projects and have found huge success with them.
These are the industry leaders who everyone looks up to and the most passionate of the chain strive to become. Examples of top distinguished software engineer individuals include;
Sebastian Thrun (senior Google fellow)
Sanjay Ghemawat
Jeff Dean
There are many more throughout the world, with top companies like Sony, Morgan Stanley, and Fujitsu recognizing their own.
How to Progress from One Level to the Next
No matter how long you've been a software engineer or where you are, striving for growth is always a good idea. It's how you learn where your weak points are, what your strengths are, and how you can better yourself both personally and professionally.
Striving for a better role will also help you become more financially stable, have access to better perks and job opportunities, and maintain your enjoyment of your career.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can do this, all of which basically come down to one thing; proving you're capable of doing what you need to do.
One way to do this is by taking on more responsibility as a software engineer rather than simply waiting for new opportunities.
However, educating yourself and growing your skills as a software engineer is necessary for doing so successfully. If you're an entry-level engineer, this would mean solving problems without mistakes and sowing excellent communication skills with upper software engineering managers.
Sign up for additional training classes that may expand your field knowledge and make you stand out in the workplace. You could also hire an experienced mentor to help guide you through the industry with personalized guidance catered to you and your situation.
Additionally, staying ahead of emerging trends in your industry and building relationships with key figures can solidify your spot as an expert in your area.
You may also want to start growing an audience online, be it through Twitter, Medium, or through your own projects. This can be an excellent way for you to showcase your ability and make a name for yourself within the industry.
By keeping these tips in mind, you can easily take charge and take on the challenge of advancing your career.
What are the Benefits of Progressing as a Software Engineer?
Working hard and making steady career advances within an organization can bring many advantages.
At each level, new responsibilities and opportunities open up to encourage personal and professional growth.
Increased salary is among the obvious benefits, as well as better benefits packages, but job satisfaction also increases when you enjoy tangible signs of increased responsibilities. This is most noticeable in the first three levels, between junior and senior software engineer roles.
Advancement levels also allow for honing skills, access to more satisfying work, as well as recognition and respect from superiors for doing a good job.
You'll also benefit from improved work/life balance due to greater flexibility in hours, vacation time, or other arrangements that may be available at higher software engineer levels.
As you move up in your own software engineer career through the different levels of advancement with one employer, you can look forward to having more control over your future with stability both financially and emotionally.
Why do Companies Use Software Engineering Levels?
The world of software engineers is dynamic, highly competitive, rewarding expertise and experience, which is why levels are crucial for the industry.
Levels provide companies like Google and Uber with recognition of an engineer's standing within the organization and differentiate engineers based on their skill set and accomplishments.
That being said, every company may level in different ways.
Netflix only uses the senior software engineer tag across their entire company; all engineers are at this level. Google software engineer levels are based around an L# system, with L8 (distinguished software engineer) being among the highest.
The level system also allows software engineers to track their career progression, displaying a visible metric of growth in their profession.
What's more, by incentivizing excellence through levels, software engineering companies have an efficient way to motivate engineers to strive for higher objectives each time they reach a milestone.
This structure also provides these companies a tool to evaluate strong individuals that have shown commitment to advancing their profession, both technically as well as personally.
In effect, this translates into greater efficiency across the organization while enabling them to remain competitive within the market.
Summary
Achieving your dream career is a process that requires time, energy, and commitment. But even as software engineers, it doesn't have to be complicated. With an understanding of the level system and how to use mentors effectively, you can scale your career as a software engineer faster than ever before.
And at Mentorcruise, we have a wide range of experienced software engineers who can advise you on how to progress in your career in a way that works for you.
Get mentoring from a trained, experienced software engineering expert & be on the career track you want to be. Sign up today: https://mentorcruise.com/new/