// The theSeniorDev Blog

We Help JavaScript Devs Get To Senior.

The world’s most results-oriented school for experienced JavaScript Engineers, where ordinary developers become extraordinary technical leaders.

Senior Frontend Developer Roadmap 2025: 5 Proven Steps to $100K+
// Developer Roadmaps

Senior Frontend Developer Roadmap 2025: 5 Proven Steps to $100K+

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How To Get To 100k As A Developer In 3 Years Or Less (Europe Edition)
// Senior Developer Mindset

How To Get To 100k As A Developer In 3 Years Or Less (Europe Edition)

Are you a software developer dreaming about the magic number? Earning a 100k salary. Maybe you want to retire early to an exotic island. Have a family without worrying about money. Or you want more from life. I am here to tell you that you are not crazy. Getting to a 100k salary as a software developer is doable. You don’t have to be a great coder or have tens of years of experience, and you don’t have to be lucky, though luck can help. You must focus on the right things, stay consistent, and work hard. And you will get there faster than you think. 

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
30 Lessons From 10 Years Of Coding
// Senior Developer Mindset

30 Lessons From 10 Years Of Coding

In this article, I will share 30 things I wish I knew when I was a fresh developer just starting out.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
The Harsh Reality Of Being A Senior Developer (That Very Few Dare To Talk About)
// Senior Developer Mindset

The Harsh Reality Of Being A Senior Developer (That Very Few Dare To Talk About)

That’s because I genuinely believe every coder should at least reach the Senior Developer level before considering other career choices (like technical leadership or freelancing). But I must warn you that being a Senior Developer is not all roses.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
How To Find A Developer Job In 2025 (With Little Or No Experience)
// Tech Layoffs

How To Find A Developer Job In 2025 (With Little Or No Experience)

Do you want to know a little secret? You can get a highly-paid developer job without tons of experience. Now, before you call me crazy, let me explain. For the record, I’m a self-taught Senior Software Developer who mentored 230+ JavaScript developers, helping them fill their technical gaps and land high-paying jobs in record time. So yes, I’ve been around the block a time or two. To understand how you can stand out in this competitive developer job market, we must first understand what is happening in software development right now…

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
7 Tips To Find A Developer Job In A Crazy Job Market
// Tech Layoffs

7 Tips To Find A Developer Job In A Crazy Job Market

It doesn’t mean it is impossible. It just means that if you are a developer looking for a job right now, you might have to level up your game a bit. Here are 7 tips for you to navigate this developer market and get the kind of job you deserve.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
Senior Backend Developer Roadmap 2025: A Complete Guide
// Developer Roadmaps

Senior Backend Developer Roadmap 2025: A Complete Guide

Are you a Backend Developer looking to get to the next level? Yet, at the same time, you are overwhelmed by the number of libraries and frameworks you don’t know, constantly popping up in your newsfeed.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
9 Hidden Reasons Why You Still Struggle as a Software Developer: and How You Can Fix Them Before is Too Late!
// Senior Developer Mindset

9 Hidden Reasons Why You Still Struggle as a Software Developer: and How You Can Fix Them Before is Too Late!

Is not because programming is hard. Or because there are too many technologies out there or because you don’t have enough experience. Understanding that being good at software development is about discipline and not really about coding per se, frameworks or “on-paper” experience, that is hard.For many of you, this is not relevant, unless you are ready to get to the next level as a software developer. Whether it is because you simply want to be better, more confident or you want to make more money.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
How To Nail Your Next Technical Interview: The Ultimate Guide 🚀
// Technical Interviews

How To Nail Your Next Technical Interview: The Ultimate Guide 🚀

Could you win a game if you don’t know the rules? Probably not. Sadly, most software developers are doing just that. Layoffs, recession and inflation pushed many engineers back into the Technical Interview game. They have no choice but to play. And most don’t know its rules. When they get rejected and ignored, they understand they are losing. But, they don’t understand WHY they are losing. Or what it takes to win. By winning I mean landing that high paying developer job you've been looking for ever since you started coding. I mean not worrying about mortgage payments anymore. Or the kids' tuition. At the same time, getting a developer job became a lot harder. Layoffs, recession, remote work, and AI have flipped the power in the job market, from developers to companies.The days of knowing a bit of React and getting hired are gone. Every developer job now has hundreds if not thousands of candidates waiting at the door. You have no other choice but to stand out. And you have to be very effective at doing technical interviews because the margin for error is small. With fewer opportunities coming by, you better nail the ones you’ve got.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
5 Things Most Developers Learn Too Late
// Senior Developer Mindset

5 Things Most Developers Learn Too Late

When I look back at my developer career in the last 10 years, going from Junior to Senior level, to mentoring over 200+ developers helping them get to the next level…And if I only had 10 minutes to share with you everything I learned…I would boil it down to 5 core principles. Five lessons that will dramatically accelerate your growth as a developer to the next level. Keep on reading because in this article I will give you 10 years of experience wrapped up in a few minutes. Let’s start with number one…

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
The Harsh Reality for JS Developers: If You Don't Study The Fundamentals You Will Be Just Another “Coder”
// Senior Developer Mindset

The Harsh Reality for JS Developers: If You Don't Study The Fundamentals You Will Be Just Another “Coder”

Three years ago, I faced a brutal truth. Up to that point, I had been writing dozens of lines of code. But, when asked to solve specific technical issues, I often realized I would get stuck on basic things. The harsh reality was I missed fundamental software knowledge.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
Should You Specialize Or Not: Solving A Developer's Dilemma
// Senior Developer Mindset

Should You Specialize Or Not: Solving A Developer's Dilemma

Maybe the cause of your lack of progress is not a lack of skills. But a lack of balance in your skills. The reality is hundreds of developers suffer from such imbalances. And most don’t even know it. Skill imbalances happen when you know too much about one technology or framework and too little about everything else. Or when you know too many frameworks and technologies but none deeply enough.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
The Developer Job Market Is Insane 🤯 5 Tips On How To Survive
// Senior Developer Mindset

The Developer Job Market Is Insane 🤯 5 Tips On How To Survive

Have you ever wondered... If software developers are so in demand, why is it so hard to get a software developer job these days?Why the long interview process? Why the hundreds of rejections?Why all the ghosting and the low salaries offered? Today, I will show you exactly what’s behind this mess. How we got here. And why.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
How To Become A Senior Developer In 3 Simple Steps
// Senior Developer Mindset

How To Become A Senior Developer In 3 Simple Steps

The road you need to take to become a senior developer is long. It is a difference that most developers underestimate — I know I did back in my early days of writing code.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
9 Smart Ways To Stand Out In A World Full Of Coders
// Senior Developer Mindset

9 Smart Ways To Stand Out In A World Full Of Coders

It is easier now than ever to become a software developer. Attracted by promises of 150k salaries, remote riches, and a lifetime balance equal to none, everybody wants to be a programmer these days. Coding Bootcamps and Udemy courses are popping out everywhere. Young and old, millions of people are trying to learn how to code in order to improve their lives and income.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
disasters must happen
// Email Newsletter

disasters must happen

Shitty AI slop gets you shitty, buggy software.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
How to Stay Relevant In The Age of AI coding
// Email Newsletter

How to Stay Relevant In The Age of AI coding

Soon, developers will get paid more for overseeing AI code… Than for writing code themselves.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
The Most Crucial Skill to Survive as a Developer in the “Age Of AI”
// Email Newsletter

The Most Crucial Skill to Survive as a Developer in the “Age Of AI”

AI overuse is clearly making us dumber… Bloating our codebases… And turning the software industry into a massive dumpster!

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
7 Tricky Frontend Interview Questions (How To Answer Like a Senior Dev)
// Technical Interviews

7 Tricky Frontend Interview Questions (How To Answer Like a Senior Dev)

Below, you will find the 7 most asked questions in frontend interviews in 2025 – and how to answer them like a Senior Frontend Developers who deserves a $100+ job.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
How Senior Engineers Navigate The Current Job Market: 4 Tips To Stand Out
// Senior Developer Mindset

How Senior Engineers Navigate The Current Job Market: 4 Tips To Stand Out

You sent thousands of applications, but no one called you back. You went through long interview processes to get ghosted at the last minute. If you are a developer looking for a job right now, you are on a tough ride because the game has gotten harder and harder. 

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
Software Engineering Resume: 6 Dumb Mistakes To Avoid & Free Template
// Technical Interviews

Software Engineering Resume: 6 Dumb Mistakes To Avoid & Free Template

Have you applied to 500+ developer jobs and no one is writing you back? And when they do, the interview feels like an FBI interrogation, digging deep into your past and rooting for you to fail? Let me tell you a secret… The problem is not that the job market is bad. The job market is what it is. And dozens of developers are signing new job contracts as you are reading this. The problem is your developer CV.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
Why I Stopped Using AI as a Senior Developer (After 150,000 Lines of AI-Generated Code)
// Senior Developer Mindset

Why I Stopped Using AI as a Senior Developer (After 150,000 Lines of AI-Generated Code)

I used pretty much every AI tool and model out there – from GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Windsurf… yes, even DeepSeek and Gemini. At first, it felt like magic.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
"Vibe-Coding" Influencers Are Ruining Your Life
// Senior Developer Mindset

"Vibe-Coding" Influencers Are Ruining Your Life

Coding was never the bottleneck. It’s the easy part. Getting users is the hard one. Keeping them, even harder. To do both those things, you need totally different skills than coding. That’s the bottleneck.It’s marketing. It’s sales. You can code an MVP in a weekend using ChatGPT. Cool. But guess what? Nobody will pay you for an MVP these days.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
Become 10x More Confident As A Developer In 3 Simple Steps

Become 10x More Confident As A Developer In 3 Simple Steps

Take away all my programming knowledge. But, give me the confidence I have now, and I would get to Senior at least 3x faster.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
Why I am not giving up on Software Engineering (and you shouldn't either)
// Email Newsletter

Why I am not giving up on Software Engineering (and you shouldn't either)

If you’ve read the news lately… Things are not looking great for software engineers. Tech layoffs. Brutal job market. Companies dragging you through 7 interview rounds - just to ghost you because of "culture fit".

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
5 rules for Senior Dev life (how to do more with less)
// Senior Developer Mindset

5 rules for Senior Dev life (how to do more with less)

Here are 5 rules I follow every day as a Senior Dev to make the most out of my day... And no, they don't involve getting AI to code for you.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
4 Harsh Truths That Will Make You A Better Software Engineer

4 Harsh Truths That Will Make You A Better Software Engineer

If you struggle in technical interviews, suffer Impostor Syndrome, and can’t seem to catch up no matter how many hours you spend in front of your laptop, this article is for you. Here are 4 harsh truths you will have to face if you want to take your developer career to the next level. 

To become a Senior Dev, get rid of the chaos in your life
// Email Newsletter

To become a Senior Dev, get rid of the chaos in your life

A few days ago, Bogdan and I were checking on our students. We wanted to find out the difference between the developers who got amazing results…

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
Yes baby, Software Developers have a bright future in 2025!
// Email Newsletter

Yes baby, Software Developers have a bright future in 2025!

I asked ChatGPT to come up with the total number of industries a software developer could work in. It answered about 30.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
How To Find A Remote Developer Job In 2025: 6 Steps Guide
// Software Development

How To Find A Remote Developer Job In 2025: 6 Steps Guide

Do you hate commute time? Do you hate office farms, cubicles, and endless meetings that stop you from doing what you like the most—solving problems and writing code? You are not alone. Every developer I talked to in the last six months told me the same. The majority preferred working from home because it was more comfortable and productive.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
Open-source Is Overrated (And WhatTo Do Instead To Get A Developer Job)
// Software Development

Open-source Is Overrated (And WhatTo Do Instead To Get A Developer Job)

Have you heard it before? To get a great job as a developer, you should contribute to open-source projects. I say it is a bunch of nonsense.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
To Every Developer Close To Burnout, Read This
// Senior Developer Mindset

To Every Developer Close To Burnout, Read This

Today, I will share a Senior Developer’s perspective on burnout and six things you can do right now if you feel burned out as a developer to get your career and life back on track.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
Get To Senior Developer Faster By Avoiding 9 Mistakes Every Developer Does
// Senior Developer Mindset

Get To Senior Developer Faster By Avoiding 9 Mistakes Every Developer Does

I’ve been a developer myself for over 10+ years. I’ve coached hundreds of developers. With many of them reaching the top 10% in terms of career level and salary. For years, I thought about what it takes to become really successful in software development. It doesn’t matter if you want to make a lot of money or simply master your craft. Most developers want the first one and, later in their career, the second one. Here are 10 mistakes you want to avoid if you want to achieve massive success as a software engineer, whether you want to make more money, get an important title, or build your own tech company.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
The Secret Weapon of High-Achieving Developers: A Mentor

The Secret Weapon of High-Achieving Developers: A Mentor

Ever since I was a student, I have been obsessed with success. Not about the end result itself. But about its causes. About how to become successful. I would spend my evenings reading the biographies of the great names of history, from Alexander The Great to Warren Buffet and Steve Jobs. All of those “high-achievers” had very different life stories. Some reached success at a very young age. For others, it took a lifetime to get there. But they all shared one thing in common. They all had mentors guiding them through key moments in their journey. Many of them had mentors ever since they were kids.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
21 Things I Wish I Learned Sooner (As A Junior Developer)

21 Things I Wish I Learned Sooner (As A Junior Developer)

I wrote my first line of JavaScript over ten years ago. ‍While studying for an aerospace engineering degree, I had the crazy idea that machines would dominate the world and that programmers would be the ones able to control them. Plus, any engineer who doesn’t know how to code isn’t really an engineer, in my opinion.‍ So, as soon as my second year of university, I started learning how to code. It’s been one of the best decisions I ever made. It’s also been a very tough journey. Full of victories as well as disappointments.‍ In these ten years, I went from a low-skilled, underpaid, self-taught Junior developer to a Senior developer. Looking back, one thing that helped me progress the fastest was learning from software developers who were more experienced than me.‍ Here are, in no particular order, a few lessons I’ve learned along the way that you can use to fast-track your Developer career to the Senior level (and have a lot more fun in the process).

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
5 Crazy Things To Get Your Developer Career Unstuck
// Senior Developer Mindset

5 Crazy Things To Get Your Developer Career Unstuck

Are you feeling stuck? You’ve been writing code for a while but you feel like by now you should be a bit further ahead in your developer journey? Are you sick of traditional advice like doing more online courses and side-projects? Or wait a few years to get more experience? You’ve also probably been told that the solution for you to get to the next level is some new library or framework you haven’t heard of. But deep inside you know the answer cannot be that simple. Today I will share with you 5 things that might seem either crazy or common sense. Regardless, they will take your developer career to a whole new level. These principles boil down 10+ years of experience writing code. They have nothing to do with your tech stack. But everything to do with your overall success as a developer. When put in place correctly, they will help you reach technical mastery and get your career to a whole new level.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
How To Get Developer Experience (Even When You Don’t Have Any) 💡
// Technical Interviews

How To Get Developer Experience (Even When You Don’t Have Any) 💡

If you are a developer looking for a job, I bet you heard this already: “We moved forward with another candidate who has more experience.” Messages like this can literally break you. They also put you in an impossible situation. If your problem was a fancy Data Structure, you could learn it. If it was a Desing Pattern, you could study it. But, you can’t just snap your fingers and get more developer experience. Trying to get a developer job as a developer without experience is almost impossible in this economy. That is because of the vicious cycle called “the experience trap”. You can’t get technical interviews because you don’t have enough experience. You don’t have experience because you don’t get technical interviews. So you can’t find a job. It is a chicken and egg problem. And the more Junior you are, the harder it is. In 2024, the situation got even worse, with companies becoming even more demanding. With layoffs, recession, and AI, the job market became “Seniors only”, where experience is king. In this article, I will show you how to break this vicious cycle.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
What Is Really A Senior Developer: Core Principles
// Senior Developer Mindset

What Is Really A Senior Developer: Core Principles

In this article I will show you exactly what a Senior developer is, how they behave and how they think. I will do so by sharing timeless principles Senior developers adhere to. Not tips, nor tricks.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
How Developers Can Survive AI: 3 Hidden Skills To Become Irreplaceable
// Senior Developer Mindset

How Developers Can Survive AI: 3 Hidden Skills To Become Irreplaceable

In this article, I will show you exactly what those skills are. You will also learn how to leverage them in your everyday life so you become irreplaceable no matter how smart ChatGPT and Github Copilot will become.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
12 Senior Developer Traits Junior Developers Need To Master
// Senior Developer Mindset

12 Senior Developer Traits Junior Developers Need To Master

The fastest way to get to the top in any field, whether it is arts, sports or software development is to study the people that are already at the top… And do what they are doing that you are not. If you write code for a living, this means taking a look at Senior Developers. It means identifying what skills, habits, and traits they possess that you don’t. After spending thousands of hours in the last 3 years working with top-notch Software Engineers worldwide, I found out that there are 12 Senior Developer traits that you can put in place right now to fast-track your growth to the next level. 

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·
3 Programming Myths That Keep You Stuck, Frustrated And Underpaid
// Senior Developer Mindset

3 Programming Myths That Keep You Stuck, Frustrated And Underpaid

Ever since you started coding you’ve been conditioned to believe certain myths about being a developer that are ruining your career. It is why you suffer impostor syndrome and doubt your skills. Keeping you stuck at the same level, frustrated and underpaid. What’s worse, these beliefs are so embedded in our everyday lives as developers, that we take them as gia ven. We don’t question them because we think they are the reality. When in fact, they are just myths perpetuated by the community. Myths that haven’t been debunked yet. Partly because they sound good, on paper. In reality, they are dangerous biases holding you back from getting out there and building the kind of future you deserve. In this article, we will debunk those myths one by one.

Dragos NedelcuDragos Nedelcu·

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