Celebrating 20 years of software development

Hey guys, I've been so caught up with all the ups and downs in recent months that I forgot that this year would officially make it 20 years since I began my life as a dev (professionally speaking ofcourse). I honestly can't believe that it's been 20 years already. Perhaps like so many devs around that time, I started my career as a jack-of-all-trades developer (although one might argue that my background started with .NET itself). Yet, looking back now, it has become clear to me that I spent most of the past 20 years building myself up as a front-end developer. Obviously we didn't acknowledge that kind of clear separation back then. Everyone is basically a "full-stack" dev by default. Discovering my Love for UX I discovered my love for UX very early in my career in 2006. I knew then what we all understand today, that UX plays a crucial role in how we design and building our digital products today. Today, we can't have a discussion about building any app without including a discussion about the kind of experience we want to engineer for the target end-users. Going back to the beginning of my journey, I'm always reminded of the early challenges of wanting to transition from a dev to design role. This is something that's often frown upon by others. 90% of the time, most HR professionals & recruiters that I meet will tell me to "stay in my lane" as a dev. It was discouraging for a very long time. But I never allowed it to stop me from pursuing what I believed in. I would constantly seek out opportunities (either as part of my day job, or as a freelancer) to practice and experiment with UX design ideas. Sometimes they would lead to breakthroughs, and sometimes I would experience failures. But it is because of that relentless, passionate pursuit of advocating for better UX that eventually led me to earning my recognition as a thought-leader in topics related to Agile UX & UX testing. Realizing & Embracing my Talents as a Front-end Dev Interestingly enough, it wasn't until recently that I finally realized what I've been blessed with as a result of my experiences over the past two decades. For a long time, I have been constantly chasing after the hopes of transitioning from a dev role into a design one. As the reminder goes, "grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence." In the last 6 months, I've began to truly embrace myself and what I'm most good at, and that is front-end development. My love, passion and believe in UX hasn't changed, and it continues to remain strong. It is part of the reason why I'm currently undergoing a part-time post-diploma course in UX Design & Management. Following my Own Path (as a Front-end Dev or UX Engineer) As one of the leading front-end development specialists, I believe that my secondary skills in UX design will help to elevate my value as a front-end development specialist. When it comes to considering what my potential career path may be, I would imagine myself following the specialist path rather than the managerial one. That's where I find myself today. With everything that I've experienced and endured to get here, I'm also thankful that the industry is shifting & changing slightly. Through my observations, it's easy to notice that some companies are more willing to pay more (sometimes double) for professionals that are best at what they do. Back then, this would never have been possible. The only way we could get a pay increase, is by chasing after the next title on the ladder. Now, you can either be a Senior Dev (creme de la creme) that earns $12,000/month, or a Dev Lead (average) that earns about the same. I guess you can say that I'm still an idealist. If I really want to do something, I always want to make sure that I'm the best at what I do.

Mar 19, 2025 - 09:16

Celebrating 20 years of software development

Hey guys, I've been so caught up with all the ups and downs in recent months that I forgot that this year would officially make it 20 years since I began my life as a dev (professionally speaking ofcourse). I honestly can't believe that it's been 20 years already.

Perhaps like so many devs around that time, I started my career as a jack-of-all-trades developer (although one might argue that my background started with .NET itself). Yet, looking back now, it has become clear to me that I spent most of the past 20 years building myself up as a front-end developer. Obviously we didn't acknowledge that kind of clear separation back then. Everyone is basically a "full-stack" dev by default.

Discovering my Love for UX

I discovered my love for UX very early in my career in 2006. I knew then what we all understand today, that UX plays a crucial role in how we design and building our digital products today. Today, we can't have a discussion about building any app without including a discussion about the kind of experience we want to engineer for the target end-users.

Going back to the beginning of my journey, I'm always reminded of the early challenges of wanting to transition from a dev to design role. This is something that's often frown upon by others. 90% of the time, most HR professionals & recruiters that I meet will tell me to "stay in my lane" as a dev. It was discouraging for a very long time.

But I never allowed it to stop me from pursuing what I believed in. I would constantly seek out opportunities (either as part of my day job, or as a freelancer) to practice and experiment with UX design ideas. Sometimes they would lead to breakthroughs, and sometimes I would experience failures.

But it is because of that relentless, passionate pursuit of advocating for better UX that eventually led me to earning my recognition as a thought-leader in topics related to Agile UX & UX testing.

Realizing & Embracing my Talents as a Front-end Dev

Interestingly enough, it wasn't until recently that I finally realized what I've been blessed with as a result of my experiences over the past two decades.

For a long time, I have been constantly chasing after the hopes of transitioning from a dev role into a design one. As the reminder goes, "grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence."

In the last 6 months, I've began to truly embrace myself and what I'm most good at, and that is front-end development. My love, passion and believe in UX hasn't changed, and it continues to remain strong. It is part of the reason why I'm currently undergoing a part-time post-diploma course in UX Design & Management.

Following my Own Path (as a Front-end Dev or UX Engineer)

As one of the leading front-end development specialists, I believe that my secondary skills in UX design will help to elevate my value as a front-end development specialist. When it comes to considering what my potential career path may be, I would imagine myself following the specialist path rather than the managerial one.

That's where I find myself today. With everything that I've experienced and endured to get here, I'm also thankful that the industry is shifting & changing slightly. Through my observations, it's easy to notice that some companies are more willing to pay more (sometimes double) for professionals that are best at what they do. Back then, this would never have been possible. The only way we could get a pay increase, is by chasing after the next title on the ladder. Now, you can either be a Senior Dev (creme de la creme) that earns $12,000/month, or a Dev Lead (average) that earns about the same.

I guess you can say that I'm still an idealist. If I really want to do something, I always want to make sure that I'm the best at what I do.