I am in my 5th year as a developer (3.5 years as junior/mid level and now a senior dev).
My current role is not going well (people issues). Anyway, I said to one of the managers I was thinking of looking for another job and he told me there is no way I could get the same salary or position in another organization as I'm not a real developer yet.
How do I know if he is right?
Unfortunately, I agree with him. I only know the fundamentals of the languages I work with (C# & JavaScript), although I do consider myself an advanced SQL guy (but I'm regularly told that doesn't count).
So, how will I know when I know enough to call myself a developer? Is there some kind of matrix/test I can use? I am regularly studying (2 - 3 hours per day) on PluralSight and by making my own projects, but I feel like a complete beginner in most aspects of software.
Update - November 2020.I have been working as a full-stack developer for almost 2 years now, have dramatically increased my expertise through self-learning and through my job, and recently got promoted to a lead developer. If you ever find yourself asking the above - don't give up, work & study hard and believe in yourself!
Update - July 2023. For the past 2.5 years, I have been a team leader, managing a team of 9 - 11, as well as doing lots of hands-on work. I mentor, teach, set coding standards and much more. I tell you this so that hopefully you can learn the lesson that perseverance and determination can overcome self-doubt and others' doubt as well. Oh and I've quadrupled my income since asking this question. Again, believe in yourself, thanks for the encouragement back when I asked this.