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What is a senior/lead developer and how to become one
After many years of toil, hardworking developers can become senior/lead developers. The road to this position is not easy. Senior/lead developers first earn a bachelor's degree or even a master's degree in computer science or a similar field (although a diploma is not necessary to succeed). They also spend years honing their programming skills on the job.
Senior/lead developers use their impressive technical knowledge of coding, including skills such as HTML and Java, to help develop programs. However, the job also includes a people-facing component. Senior/lead developers lead a whole team of developers and help them hone their skills. They also act as a liaison with important stakeholders that are not on the development team.
The senior/lead developer has a very important job. Not only are they one of the best programmers in the room and make sure that the project gets done right, but they are also a key node of communication for the whole company. It's no wonder that the demand for senior/lead developers is expected to grow by 21% by 2028.
What general advice would you give to a senior/lead developer?
Frank McCown Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Harding University
Avg. Salary $127,208
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 21%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%
Asian 31.82%
Black or African American 4.53%
Hispanic or Latino 8.28%
Unknown 4.83%
White 50.37%
Genderfemale 19.76%
male 80.24%
Age - 38American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 38Stress level is moderate
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is good
6.4 - fair
Senior/lead developer career paths
Key steps to become a senior/lead developer
Explore senior/lead developer education requirements
Start to develop specific senior/lead developer skills
Skills Percentages Java 8.45% C++ 5.36% JavaScript 4.83% Web Application 4.79% Architecture 4.21% Complete relevant senior/lead developer training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior/lead developers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior/lead developer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior/lead developer resumes.Research senior/lead developer duties and responsibilities
- Lead team through creative process to define company website design and flow within an HTML template.
- Lead team of UI and PL/SQL developers to improve UI performance by tuning SQL and modifying UI code.
- Implement new requirements and enhancements, data center migrations thereby handling and managing respective QA and production releases.
- Manage internal enterprise applications through the SDLC, encompassing purchase ordering, resource provisioning, content management and digital phone administration.
Get senior/lead developer experience
Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a senior/lead developer. The most common roles before becoming a senior/lead developer include senior software engineer, developer team lead and software engineer.Prepare your senior/lead developer resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior/lead developer resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior/lead developer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable senior/lead developer resume templates
Build a professional senior/lead developer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior/lead developer resume.
Apply for senior/lead developer jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a senior/lead developer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first senior/lead developer job
Are you a senior/lead developer?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average senior/lead developer salary
The average senior/lead developer salary in the United States is $127,208 per year or $61 per hour. Senior/lead developer salaries range between $90,000 and $177,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do senior/lead developers rate their job?
Senior/lead developer reviews
Problem solving and cutting edge technology - always learning and evolving my skill set
Still have to deal with people :)
I enjoyed working on creative problems that dealt with the user interface
I didn't like how technical it could become
Designing a new system or making changes to an old one.
Compensation. Pay and Benefits do not match the time spent on a project. Alabama is the Worst state to live in for SOFTWARE ENGINEER Salaries. 40 to 50 percent less than our peer States.
Updated January 8, 2025
