I used to think that knowing how to code meant I was ready to work in a company. I had built some personal projects, passed some online courses, and contributed to group assignments at university.

But after spending a few weeks at my internship with StartupFACTORY, I realized there’s a whole different level to being a real developer.

👥 What Changed?
It wasn’t the frameworks or tools. I already knew some JavaScript, had played with React, and learned NestJS during the early weeks of training.

What changed was the environment.

Suddenly, I was:

• Writing code that would be reviewed by someone else
• Explaining my decisions in a pull request
• Responding to constructive feedback
• Breaking something in one workspace and realizing it affected five others
• Writing TODOs not for myself, but for my teammates

This wasn’t a tutorial — this was a real product, being built for real users. That pressure changes everything.

🛠️ Tools, But with Purpose
Using GitHub felt different now:

• Each branch had a ticket and a purpose
• Every commit message mattered
• Merge conflicts had real consequences

Using Scrum wasn’t just a school concept:

• We had sprint goals
• We had reviews and retrospectives
• We adjusted based on blockers, not guesses

Even writing a button component became an act of collaboration.

💬 What I Learned

• 💡 Code that works isn’t always code that fits — consistency and readability matter.
• 🤝 Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness. The team culture encourages open communication.
• 🧭 Following structure (Scrum, planning, backlog) brings clarity — and reduces chaos.
• 🧱 Real development is about sustainability, not just building fast.

🔁 Reflection
What was the first moment you felt like a “real” dev — not just someone writing code?

For me, it was when my mentor asked, “Will this scale to multiple workspaces?” — and I didn’t have an answer. That one question changed the way I built everything after.

Today wasn’t about learning a new library. It was about realizing how much I still have to learn to work like a professional. And that’s the most motivating feeling in the world.