And this is why the lack of training/mentorship is having a negative effect: somebody needs to be protecting and guiding the junior engineers. They don't know they're supposed to push back and say "I'm not the person who's supposed to decide how your product works, I'm just supposed to build it". They don't know that they need to interrogate the business and get them to commit to details. They probably don't know how to have the conversation and ask those questions.
That's what mid-level and seniors have always been for, to provide that knowledge on the job. But mid-levels and seniors are increasingly the equivalent of juniors with bigger paychecks, because they didn't have someone to show them. We need apprenticeship. In the trades, an apprentice will train for years with a master tradesman who teaches what you need to qualify for the title of journeyman. We need apprenticeship in software development, and real Professional Engineer qualifications. It helps the end-user, the business, and the engineers.
There's room for all sorts. While I've met engineers happy just building the widget with all details specified up front, my career has been taking incomplete specs and deciding how the product works to create holistic designs.
That's what mid-level and seniors have always been for, to provide that knowledge on the job. But mid-levels and seniors are increasingly the equivalent of juniors with bigger paychecks, because they didn't have someone to show them. We need apprenticeship. In the trades, an apprentice will train for years with a master tradesman who teaches what you need to qualify for the title of journeyman. We need apprenticeship in software development, and real Professional Engineer qualifications. It helps the end-user, the business, and the engineers.