Thinking Like a Senior Engineer

What makes a senior engineer's approach different?

It's not just experience - it's a fundamentally different way of thinking:

Beginner Thinking:

• "I need to use the latest technology"
• "More components = better design"
• "Let me optimize for every possible scenario"

Senior Engineer Thinking:

• "What's the simplest thing that could work?"
• "What are the actual constraints I'm working within?"
• "If I had to maintain this system, how would I design it?"

Senior engineers build intuition through practice.

They've seen systems fail, so they know what causes problems.

They've maintained legacy code, so they value simplicity.

The Senior Engineer Checklist:

1. ✓ Can I explain this design to a junior developer?

2. ✓ Would I want to debug this system at 3 AM?

3. ✓ Does each component have a single, clear responsibility?

4. ✓ Am I solving the actual problem or an imaginary one?

System design mastery isn't about memorizing patterns - it's about developing the judgment to make good trade-offs.