[jrockway]

I think there's a split in the industry; outside of FAANG senior means "certain amount of time spent in front of the computer getting paid", inside FAANG, it's a set of behaviors encapsulated in a particular mid-career job title.

[twic]

Outside of FAANG, senior means "we can't pay as much as FAANG but we will call you senior when you have two years of experience and no idea what you're doing".

[AnimalMuppet]

Two years of experience may not get you really knowing what you're doing, but you should know significantly more than someone with zero years...

[jrockway]

I've been in the field for about 18 years. I feel like I "got it" about 11 years in, and that's being generous.

I did mentor a couple of interns that were juniors in college, though, and they were awesome. It might just be me that takes 10 years to get it.

[grayclhn]

Inside FAANG, it is literally a job title.

[dionidium]

"Senior engineer" is a job title at every place I've ever worked.

[jrockway]

Yes, very good point. I added a little edit to clarify that.