In a fast-growing company software engineering feels like spinning plates. Nothing ever stays fixed.

You run issue to issue problem to problem in an endless loop of fire fighting. Fix one thing and another one breaks. Fix that thing and the first one breaks.
This is normal.
Your job isn't to fix things, it's to stack rank priorities, get the next biggest fire under control, and move on. Once your fire is small enough to let burn, the next one needs you.
Your goal is to build things just well enough to survive the next few months. Because you don't have time for more βΒ the list of problems is longer than fits in your day. And because you're basically a new company every 12 to 18 months βΒ you'll outgrow the solutions you build today.
The challenge then is to find the right balance.
Fix things too shallowly and you'll never make progress. Fix things too deeply and the business collapses around your perfect little sandbox.
I don't think there's a perfect answer [name|]. My approach is to outline a rough vision of the future and spin my plates in that direction. With luck all my little fixes compound over time and move towards Good Software.
But none of that future value matters if there's no value today. You have to solve today's problems first.
Cheers,
~Swizec
Learned something new?
Read more Software Engineering Lessons from Production
I write articles with real insight into the career and skills of a modern software engineer. "Raw and honest from the heart!" as one reader described them. Fueled by lessons learned over 20 years of building production code for side-projects, small businesses, and hyper growth startups. Both successful and not.
Subscribe below π
Software Engineering Lessons from Production
Join Swizec's Newsletter and get insightful emails π on mindsets, tactics, and technical skills for your career. Real lessons from building production software. No bullshit.
"Man, love your simple writing! Yours is the only newsletter I open and only blog that I give a fuck to read & scroll till the end. And wow always take away lessons with me. Inspiring! And very relatable. π"
Have a burning question that you think I can answer? Hit me up on twitter and I'll do my best.
Who am I and who do I help? I'm Swizec Teller and I turn coders into engineers with "Raw and honest from the heart!" writing. No bullshit. Real insights into the career and skills of a modern software engineer.
Want to become a true senior engineer? Take ownership, have autonomy, and be a force multiplier on your team. The Senior Engineer Mindset ebook can help π swizec.com/senior-mindset. These are the shifts in mindset that unlocked my career.
Curious about Serverless and the modern backend? Check out Serverless Handbook, for frontend engineers π ServerlessHandbook.dev
Want to Stop copy pasting D3 examples and create data visualizations of your own? Learn how to build scalable dataviz React components your whole team can understand with React for Data Visualization
Want to get my best emails on JavaScript, React, Serverless, Fullstack Web, or Indie Hacking? Check out swizec.com/collections
Did someone amazing share this letter with you? Wonderful! You can sign up for my weekly letters for software engineers on their path to greatness, here: swizec.com/blog
Want to brush up on your modern JavaScript syntax? Check out my interactive cheatsheet: es6cheatsheet.com
By the way, just in case no one has told you it yet today: I love and appreciate you for who you are β€οΈ