Beyond the Ticket: Growing into the Bigger Picture

In every dev team, there's always that person. You know the one: the only person still using light mode, the one who adds ten instances of  console.log , or the one who insists tabs are better than spaces (or vice versa).

For me? I'm known for using Siri way more than any normal human probably should.

Setting reminders by voice mid-meeting, using shortcuts to start focus timers, and checking the weather hands-free before my daily stand-up. It's all part of my workflow. Over time, this odd little habit has become a running joke in the team, but truth be told, it helps keep my day running smoothly so I can focus on the actual work.

When the Job Becomes More Than Just Code

And while we all love a clean component or a perfectly aligned layout, some of the most meaningful moments in this job don't come from code at all. They come from the people and the process behind it.

Not long ago, I joined a project that, on the surface, seemed straightforward. But like most things in tech, the deeper I went, the more layered it became. The original developers had moved on, documentation was thin, and suddenly I was in the middle of something bigger than expected.

One afternoon, I got stuck following a chain of nested if-else conditions, trying to understand why a button was disabled under certain circumstances.

The Turning Point

What surprised me most wasn't just how fast I had to learn, but that, as the youngest member of the team, I unexpectedly got the chance to step up and save the day. A situation no one planned for landed in my hands, and I embraced it fully. From digging through unfamiliar code to connecting the dots on how everything fit together, I found myself becoming the person others turned to for answers.

I had to onboard new developers and walk them through every application in the project, explaining each one in detail, covering the main features, and translating everything into something understandable, not just for backend or frontend devs, but for anyone joining the team. The goal wasn't just to share knowledge. It was to make future development easier and more maintainable.

Owning More Than the Task

It wasn't on my radar, but I leaned in and gave it all I potentially could, and it made me realize how valuable those in-between roles are. The ones where you're not just coding, but connecting. Translating complexity. Helping others get up to speed. It taught me just how much growth happens when you step slightly outside your usual role and take ownership not just of your tasks, but of the bigger picture.

Growth Lives in the In-Between

Somewhere between polishing UI and pushing code, it's easy to forget how much the little things matter. Not just in the product, but in the team, in how we share knowledge, in how we support each other.

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you're picking up something unfamiliar, lean into it. Be open. Ask the questions. Share what you figure out. You might be surprised at how quickly you become the person others count on, even if you didn't expect to be, and how much growth can occur in that space.

Now, if you'll excuse me, Siri just reminded me to post this.