Are you underqualified to apply to a software development position?

Reddit user orduk asked, “How underqualified were you when you applied for your current position?”

There are a lot of misconceptions about what constitutes as “qualified.” Job postings are notorious for having laughable minimum requirements: more years of experience using a language than it has existed, senior level requirements for junior positions, or years of experience expected of fresh college graduates. It’s no surprise than many juniors feel the “you need experience to get experience” barrier is all too real.

I wanted to make one thing clear:

You should always be underqualified. 🎯

The top comment, by user vidro3, to orduk’s question is a great reflection of the developer experience: “Bold assumption that I’m now qualified for my current position.”

Your job pays you twice — once with money, and once with knowledge. This does not only apply to juniors; it applies to seniors as well. If you are only getting paid one of these ways, you are underpaid. If you are not growing at your job, you are being held back from advancing your career. By definition, then, you must be “under qualified” or else be stagnant in your personal growth.