Just the Wrong Time

I've been in tech for 15 years, but I never felt like I truly belonged. I constantly wondered if I was doing something wrong.

For as long as I can remember, I've been equally fascinated by design and engineering. Things need to look good and feel right. Fast, reliable, no surprises. That combination, not one or the other, is what I've always been drawn to.

But almost from the moment I entered this industry, I noticed a total disconnect between the two worlds. Not everywhere. But consistently, across every place I worked. Large companies, startups, agencies, freelance. All kinds of teams, all kinds of cultures.

We do this. They do that. That's just how it works. But how do you ever make something truly good if everyone just stays in their lane?

I started coding when I was fourteen, but later moved toward design because it felt like a better way to express myself. When running my own freelance business, I managed the full picture: the product, the people, and the process. To me, they were never separate disciplines. They were just parts of the same solution.

I care deeply about the people I work with. I want to motivate them, learn from them, build things together. But in a world that runs on boxes, that's harder than it sounds. The moment you step outside your own, people notice. So I became careful. I didn't want to step on anyone's toes. Didn't want to make someone feel like I was overstepping into their profession. So I held back. Did what was expected. Stayed in my lane.

But deep down, I never quite stopped thinking that way. And I'm glad.

I'm starting to notice a shift. AI is forcing the industry to finally break down some of these rigid silos. The lines between disciplines are blurring. We're seeing that a single person can move faster and achieve more than we previously thought. And for someone who has always thought that way, that feels like a relief.

Maybe it was never the wrong way to think. Just the wrong time.

And yes... I know there are companies that believe they already work this way, or rather, wish they do. And I understand that wish. I can't imagine not wanting to build products that way. But between the wish and the reality, there is often a very large gap. Maybe we should all just be a little more open minded.