How I Went from Fresh Graduate to Chief Engineer – Lessons for Software Careers

Self Introduction

Hi everyone, I recently became a father, which has disrupted my daily rhythm. I wake up several times at night to feed the baby and start work around 7‑8 am, an unusual schedule for a remote engineer.

As a father, I enjoy watching my child grow, but the upcoming night‑crying phase worries me and threatens my sleep.

Personal Views on Career

I value "what kind of person I want to become" more than "what kind of person I want to be". When mentors asked about my career rules, I often said, "Decide where you want to be in a few years," and I’m grateful for their advice.

Setting goals and steadily accumulating achievements is important, but the purpose behind those goals may change over time. I think staying flexible and continuing to do what you truly want is enough to define your career.

How to Expand Your Work and Build a Network

I usually find new opportunities through:

Friends met at drinks

Connections made on social media

Introductions from former colleagues

Nowadays, I also consider a person’s technical output and the quality of relationships, not just follower counts. If you’re interested, let’s grab a drink!

Recent Roles

Chief Mobile Application Engineer (React Native, Flutter)

Chief Web Engineer (Next.js)

Full‑Stack Engineer (infrastructure, backend, frontend, mobile releases)

My strongest expertise is in React Native + Expo, making me the lead engineer for mobile apps.

How I Reached This Position

I’ll outline four parts of my journey.

(1) Why I Started the Hobby

A colleague, Mr. Z, who loved technology, invited me to build a React Native app together. That sparked my interest, beginning with setting up a Node environment.

(2) Why I Continued the Hobby

Mr. Z invited me to a front‑end hackathon that gave 24 hours to develop and demo an idea. I participated 3‑4 times, using React Native to improve my skills without losing motivation.

(3) What I Built During the Hobby

I created quirky apps, like a simple memo app and a “build a castle in space” app, mostly as a beginner without publishing them. The experience taught me perseverance and problem‑solving, which later helped my startup struggles.

Now I can build a full‑featured app alone, such as a service that leverages LINE’s group features (chat, private messages, notes, events).

(4) How I Turned It into a Business

Before mastering networking and social drinking, I shared my work on Twitter and private SNS accounts, publishing even low‑quality hobby projects. This visibility led to referrals and contract work.

Key turning points:

College acquaintances invited me to contract development via private SNS.

People I met on SNS introduced me to many others.

Regular SNS posts attracted direct inquiries.

How to Become an Engineer

If you lack industry experience, follow these steps:

Start learning from zero as soon as you join society; early years are crucial.

Find peers to work with during your first three years; this keeps motivation high.

Make learning a habit in years 1‑3, even if it requires sacrifices.

In the third year, don’t fear challenges; start with contract work to gain full‑cycle experience (proposal, estimation, design, development, delivery).

After three years, place yourself in a slightly tougher environment like a startup; the struggle builds resilience.

Whenever possible, help acquaintances with their businesses; this broadens your judgment and technical selection experience.

Most people truly build their career after the third year.

I believe you should shape your career based on what you want to do, even if seniors suggest otherwise. "Fun" is the strongest driver; keep moving forward because it’s enjoyable.

What Am I Best At?

My personal stack focuses on cheap, fast, simple solutions.

If you have similar configuration questions, feel free to contact me.

Conclusion

For those worried about their career path, there’s no single correct answer. "What kind of person I want to become" matters, but trusting your intuition about who you want to be is also valuable.

When comparing yourself to others, stay moderate and believe in your chosen path; choose what’s more interesting, and you’re unlikely to regret it later.

This is one engineer’s perspective, hoping it helps you. Thank you for reading.