Where Do I See Myself in 3-5 Years?

I’ve been asked this question in interviews before: “Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?”

Sometimes, I give a safe answer - improving my programming skills, working on my communication, maybe getting a house, having better work-life balance. You know, the usual things that should always be a work in progress, no matter where I am in life.

Other times, I’m honest. I say that I want to eventually lead my own team - whether it’s for a chatbot project or something bigger, like heading a data science team. But I’ve also said this to actual team leads, which in hindsight might have sounded like “I’m aiming for your job.” Awkward? Maybe. But it’s the truth.

And honestly, I don’t think I should feel embarrassed about it. It’s where I want to go. Having a clear goal keeps me on track, shaping the work I do and the skills I develop. But I’ll admit - there are times when I forget about my own direction and just go with the flow, reacting to what my stakeholders need. And when I stop to think about it… I’m not even sure of the exact steps to get where I want to be.

Am I Ready to Lead a Team?

Yes and no.

On one hand, I’ve built up enough experience to lead major projects, break down tasks, and execute with the tech stack we have. I know how to plan milestones and see things through.

On the other hand, there are gaps - big ones. I don’t have much experience handling uncertainty, especially from the admin and financial side of things. There are still technical areas I struggle with, like networking, performance optimization, and building a proper CI/CD pipeline.

Maybe the real question isn’t whether I’m ready, but how I get there. And that’s something I’ll have to figure out - one step at a time. I may not have all the answers now, but the goal is clear. The next step? Filling in the gaps - whether it’s technical skills, leadership experience, or just learning how to navigate the unknown.