From Junior to Senior: Busting Big Tech Career Myths

Think senior engineers know every answer, ship only shiny greenfield projects and never get laid off? Think again. In this episode of SEEK Bytes, Will, Raf and Elliott dive into the biggest myths juniors (and even mid-career folks) believe about becoming “senior” – and what growth in tech actually looks like in the real world. In this episode, we explore: • What being “senior” actually looks like day to day – why the title alone is meaningless, how real seniors stay calm in uncertainty, ask better questions and know how to debug unknowns, and why even staff engineers still feel like juniors sometimes (and absolutely still break prod). • Myths vs reality of senior perks – seniors often care for legacy systems while juniors play with shiny greenfield work, still do “boring” tasks like AWS tagging and documentation, juggle more meetings and stakeholders, and are not magically safe from layoffs or burnout. • Healthier ways to grow your career at any level – how to push for technical change without “throwing your weight around,” use code reviews and documentation as learning superpowers, challenge the status quo (even as a grad), build trust with your team, and see failure and feedback as fuel instead of threats. If you’re a student, junior dev, career-switcher or seasoned IT pro wondering what “senior” really means – and how to grow without burning out – this episode is packed with honest stories, practical mindset shifts and permission to build a career that actually fits your life. 🔔 Follow the SEEK Bytes podcast so you never miss a new episode