A career, versus what I do
I’ve been thinking about my career lately. What I have done so far and what I want to do going forward.
Everything I have done so far has, in the broadest of views, been around making things on the web.
In college, I was a webmaster. I changed some images and text on the admissions pages of the college website.
My first job out of college was designing and slicing up emails.
Next, I designed and coded simple sites for companies in the building products industry.
After that, I spent a year and a half at a marketing agency, doing much the same but on larger projects for higher profile local companies.
And finally, today, I am designing and developing a web application within the identity theft protection space.
But even within this latest job what I do has changed a lot. My position hasn’t changed much but my roles have.
With each passing year I have found my responsibilities changing and growing. Some of it is my company asking me to do different things based on the current need and the rest is my need to push myself forward.
At times I have been a front-end developer. At others, I have been a designer. Today, I find myself doing a little of both still but also focusing on the ‘why’ of what I am designing or coding, and having conversations around that.
This is the evolution of a webmaster, web designer, front-end developer, senior front-end developer, senior front-end developer/ux lead.
The titles changed and promotions have come. But, not always in perfect timing of what I am doing or where I can make the biggest impact. Both for the company, our customers, and for myself.
This is the subtle negotiations between what the company thinks I am doing, what I am actually doing, and what I want to be doing. They’re never in perfect alignment. No one ever does exactly what their job description says. Not for a sustained amount of time, anyway.
You work within what is being asked of you, what you excel at, and what makes your heart happy. Your interests change in different ways than may be convenient.
The best individuals and the best companies find ways to grow together.
