What Kind of Rails Developer Are You?

Photo by Madzia Bryll

Although Rails developers generally have a sense for what level of experience they have, we’ve seen some confusion and received some inquiries about what standards define different roles and types of Rails jobs.  So, we’ve decided to share our knowledge and experience when it comes to differentiating Rails developers in terms of level and experience. 

We’ve decided to tackle the three most common levels of developers in demand over the last few years.  Here are some general guidelines: 

Junior Developers

  • < 1.5 years experience using Rails
  • May not have worked full time professionally with Rails yet 
  • Part-time, generally small Rails projects to show off on github


Mid-level Developers

  • 2-3 years experience using Rails
  • May not have made significant contributions to the Rails core or gems/plugins, but have a solid understanding of Ruby and meta-programming concepts
  • Experience with Ruby/Rails best practices but not scaling


Senior Developers

  • 3+ years experience using Rails
  • Experience with the whole stack
  • Experience scaling Rails applications

There is obviously some degree of overlap here.  Maybe you’ve worked with Rails for 2-3 years but never professionally.  Maybe you are a Ruby stud but Rails is still new to you.  

Sometimes a client’s job description might label a certain set of requirements as a “senior developer” but, given our experience, we might label the role as more of a mid-level position.  In a sense, this is expected and understandable as companies can greatly vary in terms of programming approaches, standards, and experience.  

Additionally, folks with strong formal CS knowledge and/or development experience in other frameworks can oftentimes jump right into more senior Rails roles, depending on the client.  In fact, many of our clients prefer to hire smart developers with less Rails experience over more experienced (but lesser talented) Rails developers.

Have you experienced different standards in the Rails community?  We’d love to hear your thoughts.