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Comment by sabas123 | Hacker News Reader

> Seniority is the number of job opportunities you have, not your current job title.

I'm still on the fence on how to feel about this quote, how does the rest feel about this?

Seniority, in some companies, is how long you've been at your current title compared to other people with that same title. It has nothing to do with either of the things he mentioned. Then there are the "senior" titles. But there are a number of "senior" titles that are junior to other non-senior titles. All I can say for sure is that there are a lot of interpretations of the word, and saying that it is one thing and isn't another is really just saying, "When I think of the word, to me it means one thing and not another." But that's just the vote of a single random blogger.

Maybe what he meant is just that, "Having a higher title does not necessarily mean that you are qualified to work at every company at that title."

It hits home for me but I'm probably the minority. I have a senior title but I'm a PeopleSoft developer which is kind of becoming an obsolete niche. I don't really have the skill set to interview for other senior software development positions.

Apply anyway, if you want to. Sure, you may get more rejections that way, but is that bad, other than being a little embarrassing? Also, assuming you're current job is fine, now is the time to actually be looking for the next thing when there's no pressure. You can bomb interviews and there's no financial stake in it for you. I would make a list of places I think make interesting products and give it shot. You may find that one place that says, "I like this person, and I think they're smart. I'll give them a shot.'

This really inspires me to get out of my comfort zone. You're absolutely right, I don't have anything to lose. Thanks for the advice, it made my day.

I would argue that it is better stated as:

Job security is the number of job opportunities you have, not your current job title.

Seniority and number of job opportunities have little to do with each other. There's a high demand for developers with 5-10 years experience, and also for 1-5 years. There is less demand for those with 30 years experience. Are they more senior still? Yes.

They’re closely related. Many (most?) companies hire for a role with a title that’s on par with your current one. This is true across all industries with the more established ones having near standardized names for each position.

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