Devs: Own your growth — or regret it later

In 2019, one year after joining a dream company, I was frustrated.

I realized I wanted to switch to another area of software engineering (frontend), but I didn’t know how 🤷‍♀️.

No one would give me a step-by-step plan to achieve it.

All my life, I was used to having either my parents, teachers, or family provide me with a simple roadmap to follow.

I was expecting the same from my managers here.

Fast forward to today: I’m a Senior Frontend Engineer, and I got here by owning my growth path.

In this post, I’ll explain why you always need to own your growth as a dev — and why not doing so is reckless.

Ready? Let’s get started! 🚀

What it means to own your growth as a dev

Owning your growth as a dev, especially a junior one, means:

1. Being clear about where you want to be in 1, 3, and 5 years.

2. Sharing your goals with people who can help you.

3. Having a plan to reach your goals (and refining it with your manager).

4. Following up on the plan.

5. Re-adapting and adjusting when things change.

Why it’s essential to own your growth

As a (junior) dev, it’s way too easy to be passive and wait for opportunities.

Don’t get me wrong: that’s not always bad.

You can get pretty far with a fantastic manager and a bit of luck on projects.

But it’s dangerous to stay in the backseat of your career. Here’s why:

Reason #1: “If you don't set goals, you will always work for someone who does.”

That’s just the truth.

If you don’t have a clear idea of where you want to go, you’ll end up working for someone else’s goals.

That’s not necessarily bad if your goals align.

But when they don’t, 5 years down the road, you might realize you’re unhappy, stuck in a role that doesn’t fulfill you 🥲.

Reason #2: Working toward your goals brings you more supporters

Have you heard of the analogy about pushing a broken car?

It goes like this:

It’s much easier to help someone who’s already pushing their broken car than someone who’s just standing next to it, waiting.

Why?

Because movement attracts help.

People are far more likely to jump in and assist when they see you taking action, even if it’s messy or slow.

So if you’re stuck, start pushing.

You’ll be amazed at who shows up to give you a hand.

Reason #3: Owning your growth gives you more credibility

When you own your growth, set goals, and work toward them, it’s easy to imagine you doing the same for a team.

Owning your growth shows strong ownership — a trait that accelerates your career.

Reason #4: Other people are also trying to figure it out

As a junior dev, I used to look at folks with 3+ years of experience and think:

“Wow, they’ve figured it all out.”

Fast forward to today — after 5+ years — I’ve realized you never really figure it out 😅.

The problems get harder.

As a manager, I see this too: I can give some advice, but until someone comes to me with clear goals, it can be pretty generic.

But if you arrive with a clear goal and a rough plan, it’s much easier to provide you with tailored, helpful advice.

Reason #5: Having clear goals helps you adjust when things change

Tech changes all the time. Look at how AI is reshaping everything.

Clear goals act like a north star. They let you reassess: is this new tech going to help or hurt in reaching them?

Without that, you’ll drift wherever the wind blows — and might wake up in a place you hate.

How to own your growth

Alright, so how do you actually do it?

Let me start with a personal example.

My story:

In 2019, I wanted to transition into frontend development. So I:

1. Made this goal clear to my manager.

2. Talked to as many people as possible who’d made the switch.

3. Applied all their tips (learned JavaScript, contributed to the product, etc.).

4. Shared my progress regularly with my manager.

5. Repeated the cycle — contribute → share → repeat — until the right opportunity came up. Then I made the transition.

What you can do:

If you’re not currently owning your growth, here’s how to start:

1. Set goals (or anti-goals):

   Where do you want to be in 1, 3, 5 years? Do you want to be an IC, a manager, or earn a specific comp?
   
   Can’t come up with goals?
   
   👉 Try anti-goals: what does your nightmare life look like? (low pay, endless meetings, outdated skills). Then work backwards to avoid it.
   

2. Come up with a plan:
   Start with a simple 3-year plan, a clearer 2-year plan, and a more detailed 1-year plan.
   
   The plan doesn’t have to be perfect or set in stone. It’s mainly a conversation starter.
   
   Remember, “Complexity is the enemy of execution.”
   

3. Share and refine the plan:
   Don’t just tell your manager, “This is what I want.”
   
   Say, “This is what I want, and here’s how I plan to get there.”
   
   Then gather feedback, adjust accordingly, and ensure it aligns with the business's needs as well.
   

4. Work toward the plan every day:
   Show up consistently. Small steps daily beat occasional giant leaps.
   

5. Share your progress:
   Don’t be shy. Sharing wins builds trust and shows commitment.
   

6. Reassess and adjust:
   Plans change. Don’t abandon ship at the first hurdle — some things take time.
   
   As Warren Buffett said, “You can't produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant.”.
   
   But also don’t be afraid to pivot if needed.
   

7. Keep setting goals:
   It’s easy to coast when things go well. But this is a never-ending process.

Summary

You’re cheating yourself if you’re not owning your growth as a dev.

Owning your growth means having goals (or anti-goals) and working toward them.

If you don’t, you’re 99% more likely to wake up one day in the wrong place, full of regrets.

It’s not that hard: set goals, build a plan, share it, work on it, show your progress, adjust — repeat.

That’s it.

You’ve got this.

Become the amazing developer you’re meant to be 💪.

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