The article is misleading. It should say "Seniority is not about time spent at a company, but skill level." If you are "senior" only through being with one com

The article is misleading. It should say "Seniority is not about time spent at a company, but skill level." If you are "senior" only through being with one company for a long time, you will have a very hard time interviewing and switching jobs. If you are "senior" through skill, you will have a very easy time and feel comfortable that you can find a similar job should the company go under / you are fired / etc. Likewise, people won't resent you for the title. I actually thought about it recently. One of our devs just left for a "Senior" position - this kid is bright and has a CS degree. He recommended me for a "Senior Lead" position - I declined, because I have gaps in my knowledge that preclude me from doing that. (#humblebrag) It's very easy to "jump past your skill level" in terms of positions in IT atm, but it costs you. Mainly it costs you like any other lie - you spend more time keeping up appearances than really improving. When you are at an "appropriate" position, you don't feel bad admitting you don't know something. That's not to say that some worthwhile people don't get promoted - it's easy to get stuck in a position, IF you are unwilling to leave your company. There is also getting stagnant - jumping roles gives you more exposure, but it needs to be exposure you can handle.