Back to the keyboard after four years away

Two children, one career pause, and a tech stack that had changed underneath me. The hardest part wasn't the code. It was believing I still belonged.

The path, in milestones.

1. 2019

   Stepped out, intentionally

   Took a planned career break after my second. I told myself it was a year. It became four. Every six months I updated my LinkedIn and didn't post.

   Lesson: Choosing a pause is different from drifting. Both deserve naming.
2. 2023

   A returnship interview I almost cancelled

   Applied to a programme for parents returning to engineering. Convinced myself I'd embarrass us all. Showed up. The technical interview was kind. I solved most of it.

   Lesson: The voice that tells you not to apply is rarely accurate. Apply anyway.
3. 2024

   First production deploy in five years

   A two-line fix. I cried in the kitchen with the laptop open. My six-year-old asked if I was sad. I said: 'No. I remembered.'

   Lesson: Skills don't vanish. They wait, sometimes for years.