Ya, most people who have been in the game for a year ask for "senior" position. I'm pretty sure this is why there is "staff" now. Well, I'm not sure how long "staff" has been a thing as I've never worked at a company that has that title, just interviewed for them (nb: I interviewed for "senior" positions at said companies).
There was a blog post on HN a few days ago by someone who taught himself programming during covid and landed senior roles (multiple, simultaneously, by lying to the employers).
