As a software engineer and technical leader, I’ve had the privilege of working on a wide range of projects over the years. While many of these experiences have been rewarding and successful, there have also been times when I’ve had to make difficult decisions that turned out to be wrong. These moments were certainly challenging, but they also provided some of the most valuable lessons in my career.

⏰ Rushing to Meet Deadlines

One of the early mistakes I made was rushing to meet a tight deadline. We were working on a critical project, and the pressure to deliver on time was immense. In my eagerness to meet the deadline, I approved shortcuts and compromises that I thought would save time. Unfortunately, this decision led to a host of technical debt, bugs, and maintenance headaches down the road. The lesson here was clear: quality should never be sacrificed for speed.

Lesson Learned: It’s crucial to communicate honestly with stakeholders about the trade-offs between time and quality. Rushing a project can lead to long-term problems that are often more time-consuming to fix than delivering a high-quality product from the start.

🤐 Ignoring Team Feedback

In another instance, I made the mistake of ignoring valuable feedback from my team. I believed that my approach was the best, and I dismissed their concerns and suggestions. The project ultimately suffered because of this lack of collaboration and trust within the team.

Lesson Learned: I realized the importance of fostering an environment where every team member feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. It’s essential to value diverse perspectives and incorporate feedback into decision-making processes. 🤝

💡 Over-Engineering Solutions

In an attempt to create the most sophisticated and advanced solutions, I’ve occasionally over-engineered projects. These decisions resulted in complex and convoluted code that was challenging to maintain and understand, and often unnecessary for the project’s requirements.

We are designing a solid foundation for a 100-story building, but we are only building a 7-story house. It is an unnecessary waste.

Lesson Learned: I’ve come to appreciate the value of simplicity and pragmatism. It’s crucial to strike a balance between solving the problem at hand and avoiding unnecessary complexity. Overly complex solutions often lead to increased maintenance and higher development costs.

📝 No Need Documentation

Early in my career, I underestimated the importance of thorough documentation. I assumed that well-written code would be self-explanatory, but I soon learned that this wasn’t the case. The lack of documentation caused confusion and slowed down both my team and future developers who had to work on the codebase.

Lesson Learned: Documentation is a critical part of any project. Clear and comprehensive documentation can save time, reduce errors, and make it easier for others to understand and contribute to the codebase.

Slow but steady to develop sustainable things, right?

🙌 Fearing Failure

One of the most significant mistakes I’ve made in my career is letting the fear of failure paralyze me. I hesitated to take on challenging projects or initiatives because I was afraid of making mistakes. I missed out on opportunities for growth and learning as a result.

Lesson Learned: Embracing failure as a part of the learning process has been a pivotal lesson. It’s okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them. Don’t let the fear of failure hold you back from taking on new challenges and pushing your boundaries.

In conclusion,

making wrong decisions in my software engineering journey has been a source of valuable lessons and growth. Each of these mistakes taught me the importance of communication, teamwork, prioritizing quality, simplicity, documentation, and the need to embrace failure as a stepping stone towards success. As we continue to navigate the ever-evolving field of technology, remember that the mistakes we make are opportunities for growth and improvement, and that’s where the true value lies in our careers.