There's one thing all senior engineers have in common: we started as junior engineers.
This should be inspiring for junior engineers! Knowledge is not static. Senior (and staff, and principal) engineers grew their skills, and so can you. It might not be obvious, but if they're good they're still growing. There are things they don't know yet, goals they aspire to. They didn't get the "senior" in their title and say "I'm done, I can coast now!"
This should also be humbling for seniors! It's easy to forget what it took. For some it was a long hard road, for others it was relatively easy. But don't forget. Remember what it was like to be challenged by "simple" concepts. What it was like to feel out of our depth.
I remember the point where I realized I was on the path to the senior title: Seniors no longer had the answers to my questions. Before that point, I assumed someone else would always know how to do what I needed to do. I realized I was being tasked with problems with no clear solutions. I was responsible not only for doing the work but figuring out the right way to do it (this was also when I discovered there's often no one right way). I didn't feel ready, but I knew I was growing. I was also lucky to have teammates who I knew would be there for me with advice.
Actually, there's one more thing senior engineers have in common... None of us did it by ourselves.
We all had help. Some was more direct (mentorship, schooling), some less so (tutorials, articles). I'll never forget the people who have helped me on my path, and I try to be as generous with my time as they were with theirs.
Because if there's anything that can help a junior become a senior, it's a senior who remembers when they were a junior.
