From PM to Designer to Builder

My career hasn't followed a straight line. I studied computer science, interned as a software engineer, pivoted to product management, got a master's in project management, and now I spend most of my time designing and building iOS apps.

People ask me what I "am" — PM, designer, or developer — and I never have a clean answer. The truth is that the boundaries between these roles have blurred, especially if you're building indie products. You can't ship an app without understanding all three.

Product management taught me to ask "why" before "how." Design taught me to care about the details that users feel but can't articulate. Engineering taught me what's actually possible and what's just a pretty mockup. Each discipline sharpened the others.

If you're early in your career and feel pulled in multiple directions, I'd say: follow the curiosity. The most interesting people I know are the ones who refused to pick a lane.