[jmadsen]

It seems to me the whole problem amounts to companies deciding to redefine the word "entry", then acting all disappointed when no one else uses that definition.

"Entry" means "to enter the workforce". It means you have pre-work experience such as a specific degree, speak a certain language, etc.

If you advertise an "entry level web development" job and I just boot camped for that, I am qualified and will apply.

If you want "Junior Developer", say so.

(Comment by someone that this is a gimmick to reduce salary sounds pretty right on.)

[Aloha]

Entry Level ought to be 'willing to train', Junior, some experience, Senior, 8+ years of experience.

Sadly title inflation is also a thing.

[epicureanideal]

I think part of the problem is the titles themselves...

"Senior" implies "Highly Experienced" meaning "lots of years of experience".

Whereas it's completely possible for a person with 3-4 years of experience to be a "Very Good Engineer" within their specific domain and be as valuable, respected, listened-to, etc. as a "Senior Engineer". It doesn't happen often, but it happens.

If we had titles more like "Apprentice", "Journeyman", and "Master" Software Engineer, then we wouldn't have this issue. Someone could be a Journeyman after 2 years or 4 depending on how rapidly they progressed through their "apprenticeship" phase, and to "Master" as soon as they had completed sufficiently complex work to have completed a "masterpiece" equivalent.

[bfung]

Was going to non-helpfully comment that as the title says:

  61% of "Entry-Level" Jobs require 3+ years of Experience

And <insert stat> of "Senior Software Engineer" jobs require only 3 years of Experience.

In the Bay Area culture, 3 years is enough time to jump jobs once:

  year 1 = figure out how to navigate tech corp
  year 2 = figure out that it's a sh!t show.
  year 3 = jump and find greener pastures.  repeat year 1.

[watwut]

I have seen senior engineers with 1.5 years of experience and totally confident (in startup).

And my lifelong experience is that such pepole have pretty good careers, better then humble more self aware people.

[tuananh]

and here in my country, 2-3 years of exp get you senior title, no matter how good (or mediocre) you are. It's just sad.

[raducu]

"Entry level" means entry level pay, not experience :)

[june_bug]

Junior Developer is an entry level job title.

As a qualifier, it is a demotion from “Developer” alone. A Junior Developer is less than all the other ordinary, plain old general Developer roles.

It’s basically a paid intern role.

The only people who would ever accept such a title are kids who don’t mind being marked, appropos of nothing, before first impressions are made, as a lesser subordinate, untrusted with serious decisions.

When a recruiter, hiring manager or HR contact offers a Junior role, it means you get paid less.

In a world where business cards and email signatures serve as pretext for introductions, you see a title with Junior in it, and it reeks of green college grads.