> Ok, I'm relatively new to professional coding (I tried to be an engineer for a while before being lured in by the programming money). I have a question: what

> Ok, I'm relatively new to professional coding (I tried to be an engineer for a while before being lured in by the programming money). I have a question: what exactly is a junior developer? I mean, if you don't understand how a 'switch' works, I would have thought that basically means you can't program, and shouldn't be working as a programmer. Generally I think misusing language constructs as in this 'switch' example - or misapplying patterns - are the hallmarks of a junior. They used the screwdriver handle to drive the nail in, and sure, it works, they just didn't know a hammer was available to do it better. And without wanting to get too silly with the tools analogy, the eventual accumulation of those tools in your brain's toolbox is what makes you move from junior to mid to senior, but there's no clearly defined line of when that is, or which tools they are, because the field is so varied and each language/ecosystem carries its own nuances.