Building Through Challenges: A Frontend Engineer’s Path of Growth and Discovery
What are the things that you would change in your life if offered a chance to time travel in past?
A friend asked me this question, and for a moment, I put my phone down, allowing the possibilities to settle in my mind. I reflected on the things that didn’t go the way I wanted them to — the events that frustrated me, the mistakes I wished I hadn’t made, and the circumstances that seemed unfair at the time. Like most people, I could easily recall moments I wanted to rewrite, those pivotal junctures that led to disappointment, confusion, or regret.
As a frontend engineer, I’m used to solving problems, debugging code, and improving the logic to make things work perfectly. But life isn’t like that. We can’t simply go back and change a few lines of code to fix our mistakes. One by one, I started remembering the experiences that felt wrong when they happened — missed opportunities, stressful projects, or moments when things didn’t go my way. It’s easy to imagine that if I could only go back, I could optimize my life like I optimize code. But when I started really thinking about it, something else occurred to me: my journey, both in life and in my career, is built on those moments.
For instance, early in my career, I faced a particularly challenging period. During my first job, before completing my probation, I was struggling with personal distractions. My focus was scattered, and I was dealing with unnecessary thoughts that made it difficult to concentrate. I vividly remember one day when my senior asked me to solve a very minor bug that involved changing a variable’s scope. It was a simple task, but at that time, I couldn’t do it. I remember the judging eye contact my senior gave me, and it felt like pity. They could see I wasn’t myself.
Around this time, my mentor — a person who became like an elder brother to me — was there to push me in the right direction. He didn’t hesitate to scold me when needed, and I’ll never forget when he told me, “Bro, you are not getting all this work done by just stressing out. What you’ll get is either diabetes or high blood pressure, and trust me, no job is worth that. If you can’t handle it, just leave. Or start to absorb the pressure in a good sense and try to be better.” His words hit me hard, but they helped shift my perspective. He made me realize that dealing with pressure is part of growth, and running from it wouldn’t solve anything.
At the same time, my managers didn’t give up on me either and I am always thankful to them. Instead of letting me go, they extended my probation for one more month, giving me a final chance. My CTO also helped by assigning me the task of taking notes during our daily hurdle meetings, where team members gave their updates. This simple task helped me regain my focus, and slowly, I started coming back to my senses.
While I wish I could personally name the seniors who supported me during one of the most challenging times in my career, I’m unable to do so without their permission. Still, their guidance, patience, and belief in me were invaluable, and I’ll always be grateful for the impact they had on my journey.
During this phase, I began reading a lot — Medium articles, books, anything that could help me clear my mind and sharpen my skills. Those things, along with the patience and support from my team and my mentor, helped me rebuild my confidence and concentration. Looking back, it was one of the most challenging times, but also a turning point in my career.
After that, I embarked on a journey that took me through multiple jobs in Lahore, working with international clients and for Rakuten, a well-known Japanese company. I worked on a one-year contract with Rakuten, which ended after I had completed about 10 months living in the United Kingdom. I felt a bit sad when the contract ended because I didn’t have another software job lined up afterward. But honestly, it wasn’t an overwhelming amount of pressure. I knew there would be more opportunities waiting for me, and it wasn’t like I was facing something insurmountable. It was just another phase, and I remained hopeful about what was next.
Now, I’ve moved to the United Kingdom on a student visa, and I’ve completed my Master’s in Management with a focus on Project Management. I’m not yet settled here but am doing my best to keep things running and pay my bills while balancing my search for better opportunities. Currently, I’m not working in a software-related job, but I’m actively looking for opportunities in the field. Managing the transition from academics to the professional world, along with financial challenges, has been tough, but it’s pushing me to grow. In the meantime, I continue to update myself by working on open-source projects, which you can see on my GitHub and LinkedIn profiles, and I continue to share my thoughts in other Medium articles. If you’re reading this and think I might be a good fit for a frontend engineering role, I’d love to connect. I’m always eager to grow, learn, and contribute to meaningful projects.
It was a tough moment, but one that pushed me to keep looking for new opportunities. Each of these experiences — whether during or between jobs — expanded my skill set and gave me a deeper understanding of the global tech landscape. I became better at handling the pressure (not perfect just a little better than i was before), delivering high-quality work, and learning to adapt quickly to diverse environments. All of these experiences were stepping stones that shaped me into the person I am today. And I am not saying I have become best but I just tried to become a little better version of who I was yesterday.
These “what if” scenarios, as tempting as they may seem, have made me realize that those moments of discomfort, failure, or missed chances have been crucial in shaping the direction of my life. In fact, changing them might not have led to something better but could have caused me to miss out on the very best parts of my journey.
As a frontend engineer, I’ve learned that debugging isn’t just about fixing issues — sometimes it’s about learning from them, adapting, and becoming better through the process. Life is the same way. Instead of wishing I could rewrite the code of my past, I now appreciate the fact that even the bugs taught me something important.
So, if I were offered the chance to time travel, my answer would be simple: I wouldn’t take it. The setbacks and frustrations have played a key role in making me who I am today, and I wouldn’t want to risk undoing the lessons they brought. Rather than dwelling on the past, I’d prefer to focus on writing the best code for my future, both in life and in my work — whether or not I land exactly where I want to be.
Conclusion
In the end, life is a lot like coding. We make decisions, encounter bugs, and sometimes, things just don’t work the way we expect them to. But every bug holds a lesson, and every challenge builds us into better versions of ourselves. Looking back, I realize that I wouldn’t change anything — even the moments that seemed hardest at the time — because they’ve all contributed to the person I am today.
I may not be settled yet, and I’m still searching for the next opportunity, but I know that every experience, from my first job struggles to my international work with Rakuten, has brought me to this point with a sense of purpose and determination. Whether it’s through building open-source projects, writing, or taking on new roles, I’m always learning, adapting, and growing.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this journey, it’s that the real reward isn’t found in avoiding challenges, but in facing them head-on and emerging stronger. The future is full of possibilities, and no matter how uncertain it may seem, I’m excited to keep writing my story — one line of code at a time.
