I’m Caleb Young. I help build big things, and I appreciate little things.

After seven years of programming, I’m still amazed by its capability to do good and make change. In a digital world, code is the magic that powers spectacular experiences. To say that I’m excited about building these experiences is an understatement.

A fascination with experience drives how I approach software from all angles: user, designer, product manager, and engineer. While there is power in specialization, teammates who engage outside a single area of expertise lift the experience for everyong. Communication improves and synergy pushes projects to new heights.

What does this look like in action? For me, it’s jumping into project planning with insights on task flows and dependencies. Engaging in two-way conversation between designers and engineers. Very rarely making a decision or discovery without sharing and documenting it.

That’s not to say I dislike specializing or don’t do it. I’ve spent hours digging into role-based access control, sending application-to-person SMS, and building decoupled Rails engines. But I’ve learned it’s a two-dimensional graph, and I like living in the top right quadrant: high engagement & specialization, high collaboration.

Check out my projects and writing on this site to see how I build software on my own, and reach out if you’re curious about how I build software on teams.