From Coding to Creative Comms: Why I Refuse to Pick Just One Path

For a long time I thought I needed to choose one lane and commit to it.

But refusing to choose has been the best decision I could make.

Being multidisciplinary is not about being scattered.

It is about seeing connections where others see walls.

From Coding to Creative Comms: Why I Refuse to Pick Just One Path by Mariana Lema

The Myth of the Single Track

We are told early on that careers follow a straight line: choose a major, land an internship, move up the ladder. But what happens when fil

m fascinates you as much as coding, or when building worlds excites you as much as building a prototype? For me, staying in just one lane felt like silencing half of myself.

Coding taught me how to break down problems logically.

Public Relations showed me how to connect with people emotionally.

Film gave me the tools to tell stories that stay with an audience.

Each discipline strengthened the others.

Where the Paths Collide

In one internship I developed a data-driven reporting system for influencer campaigns. That was not “just tech” or “just comms.” It was both. At another, I worked on branding projects that required not only graphic design but also a deep understanding of user experience (UX) and storytelling. Every time I fused skills from different disciplines, the outcome was richer than if I had stayed in one box.

This overlap is exactly what businesses need today.

Strategy on its own is not enough without creativity.

Creativity falls flat without execution.

Execution needs the structure of technology to scale.

The Value of Being a Hybrid

Instead of asking “Which lane should I choose?” I ask “How can I build the bridge between them?” Refusing to pick one path means I can sit at a table with designers, developers, and marketers and understand all of them.

It makes me a translator,

a connector,

a better teammate,

and sometimes the leader that moves an idea forward.

Why I Will Keep Saying All of the Above

Yes, sometimes being multidisciplinary feels messy. It is not the neatly packaged LinkedIn headline recruiters expect. But it is also what makes me adaptable, innovative, and prepared for a future where the best ideas come from the intersections.

So the next time someone asks what I do, maybe I will just say:

"I code,

I create,

and I communicate."

Because why should I pick just one?