Just like in life, every career has chapters. Some are filled with momentum and adrenaline. Others demand soul-searching, patience, and growth. My past two years at Messenger were all of the above and more.
When I first joined Meta four years ago, I started on an infra team building internal tools for employees. It was a great introduction to the company, lower stakes, slower pace, and it gave me the space to find my footing. It’s where I earned my first promotion to SWE II, and I was ecstatic. That milestone felt like a validation of my hard work, and it gave me the confidence to start dreaming bigger.
After two years, I felt ready for a new challenge. I wanted more ownership. More impact. I wanted to build for the people using our products, not just internally, but at a global scale. So I joined Messenger.
It was everything I had hoped for and more. The problems were massive and meaningful. The engineers were brilliant. The stakes were high. And the learning curve was steep.
To say I learned a lot during my time at Messenger would be an understatement. This role changed how I approach challenges in my work and in my life. It was here that I earned my promotion to Senior Engineer, and while I’m proud of that title, I’m even prouder of what it took to get there.
The path wasn’t easy. There were moments filled with doubt, imposter syndrome, and the pressure of leading problems I’d never seen before. But those growing pains were necessary. I was pushed into spaces I never imagined I’d be capable of owning. I became the subject matter expert for certain areas and led resolutions to issues impacting millions of users.
Looking back, I wouldn’t have wanted to go through that growth anywhere else.
The most important lesson Messenger taught me wasn’t just how to run experiments or ship a high-impact feature. It taught me how to face challenges with confidence, even when I didn’t have all the answers in front of me.
Every challenge comes with a solution. You may not see it right away, and you might not know how you’ll get there, but it’s always there. The key is to work your way toward it, using whatever tools you have in your toolbox at the time, whether that’s your technical knowledge, your problem-solving instincts, your communication skills, or your willingness to ask for help.
And the more challenges you face, the more tools you gain.
Before Messenger, I thought challenges had to feel comfortable to be solvable. I used to panic when I was assigned something unfamiliar or technically intimidating. I thought if I didn’t know how to do it from the start, that meant I wasn’t ready. But I learned that part of the job (and part of life!) is being handed something for the first time and figuring it out as you go. That’s how you grow.
Messenger gave me the opportunity to face those situations head-on. It helped me build a deeper sense of trust in myself. Not because I suddenly knew everything, but because I knew I could find a way. I learned to stay calm when I felt stuck. I learned to be resourceful, to lean on others, and to break problems down piece by piece until something clicked.
And when I used every tool I had and still didn’t find the answer, I knew that meant I was about to earn a new one.
That mindset shift changed everything for me. It made me more confident as an engineer, but it also gave me a new kind of peace in my life. Knowing that I can get through hard things, not because they’re easy, but because I’m equipped to face them, makes every challenge feel a little less scary.
And that’s the magic. That’s the growth.
Still, even in the most meaningful roles, there comes a time when your curiosity shifts. Recently, I’ve felt myself drawn to a different kind of challenge. One rooted in thoughtful problem solving, user trust, and long-term impact.
So I’m turning the page and stepping into a new chapter within Meta. It’s a focused team with a mission that deeply resonates with me: building responsibly and protecting what matters most.
Leaving Messenger wasn’t easy. It’s where I became the engineer I am today. It’s where I felt seen, supported, and stretched in all the best ways. It’s where I proved to myself that I can do hard things.
If there’s one message I hope you take from this, it’s this: don’t shy away from challenge. Lean into what feels difficult. Run towards it. That’s where the real thrill and the real growth happens.
Thank you, Messenger.
XOXO,
Paola Terrazas
