For over a decade I've wondered whether or not I was good enough to call myself a senior. Now I know. But I also discovered that, to me at least, being senior is not about knowing how to optimise algorithms, or knowing the ins and outs of the compiler or any technical skill like that. I mean, I used to love algorithm optimisation 20, or even 10 years ago. Still do, I guess. But in most projects, there's little value in it. Value is in being able to carry a complex project to completion in a fairly goal-oriented manner. Having overview of what needs to be done, knowing what to spend your time on, understanding what the user needs and how to accomplish that. Getting juniors on board, and making sure we're all working on the same thing. Of course technical skills are relevant, but it's more about how and where to apply them then about the skills themselves.