[smtddr]

>> I can assure you that the "junior" period covers at least 5 years.

You can't assure that. There are super sharp people out there with less than 3 years of experience that know a whole lot and there are devs with 10+ years experience who can't determine when a for-loop should be used.

The problem is that term 'programmer' means very different things depending on the industry and company you're in.

[geocar]

> The problem is that term 'programmer' means very different things depending on the industry and company you're in.

That's because 'programmer' as a word is a lot like 'painter', which means "applies pigment to surface" and does not differentiate between "painter of portraits" and "painter of my kitchen".

Programming is a literate and verbal exercise: We should have better words for this.

[eps]

Knowledge is not the only thing that defines a junior. It is also the actual experience, with the actual real world problems. Super sharp people with 3 years in the industry simple don't clock enough time to step on all the rakes. They are still prone to making rookie mistakes simply because they haven't made them yet.

[kazinator]

Yes, so "junior" covers up to 5 years, and it also extends to "same 5 years, N times over again". I.e. it has a base case of a number of years, over which it potentially recurses/iterates. :)