The Downside of Senior Developer Snark

You might remember being a junior developer. Perhaps you were straight out of college, or perhaps you had changed career perhaps through a code camp.

You might have expected mentorship, coaching and support so you can prove yourself in a new (and tough) field.

Instead, you’re greeted with an onslaught of sarcasm, snide remarks and nitpicks designed to make the more senior developers feel good.

I’m here to set the record straight. Raggin on juniors is unproductive AND counterproductive. It wastes everyone’s time, damages morale and even the growth of software development as a serious profession.

The Senior Developer Fallacy

It seems to be all too common for senior developers to act like they were born coding perfect algorithms before they could even walk.

It’s an attitude that shows a closed mindset, rather than demonstrating we can all improve and become better software engineers.

We’ve all seen toxic workplaces where juniors become too scared to ask questions, make mistakes, or even contribute.

I’ve noticed in my current place of work public call-outs are all the rage, but without the support of how to actually solve problems. Are you certain this will work? Is this for the current release?

This is accompanied by sarcastic verbal comments, and I feel it’s barely worth trying anymore. You’ll be asked are you sure for any particular change in any case.

The Real Senior Developers

I don’t feel I’ve ever experienced working with a real senior developer. They should mentor, guide and support juniors. You know, share knowledge and provide constructive feedback and help those around them to be the best developers they can be.

If we had more developers like this there would be more successful teams. Imagine that.

The Cost of Ragging on Juniors

It’s fun to make fun of juniors. However, at work it damages the entire company.

High turnover rates, and poor morale…sounds familiar? This can be traced back to poor treatment of junior developers.

Worse, many companies do not take on junior developers at all because they see them as a negative draw on the team. They’re not growing the talent pool and then become one of the employers who complain about the spiraling cost of competent developers.

If you don’t work and support talent, where is the talent going to come from? Someone, please tell me.

A Better Solution

We should all be looking for companies that spread respect, mentorship and collaboration. If you don’t see a junior developer as an important part of the team they’ll never grow, and the team will also be stuck as a result.

Senior developers should aim for their legacy to be the number of juniors they have helped, not the number they have laughed at or made to feel small.

Conclusion

Imagine an industry that developed talent and people.

Imagine that could be our industry.

Help to make it happen, help those newer members of your team.

Please.