As I have gotten older and my career has grown, many of my thoughts and opinions on software development, management and leadership have changed. Reading back through some of my posts from ten years ago, I see many of the same thoughts and ideas in discussions with more junior team members. And it’s not that they are wrong, but how the effects of experience and having a different vantage point can drastically change your view of things.

Whereas I used to be for building a custom solution, now I would favour buying off the shelf more. I hated meetings, but now I value the high bandwidth communication and alignment they can give when run correctly.

A big factor is the difference that being accountable can have on your opinions. Before my promotion, I would often rant about how “we have to immediately stop doing X” or that “we need to start doing Y before it’s too late”. But now that I’m in the role, all the second-order effects I had not previously considered start to raise their ugly heads. I had only seen things through the lens of my IC role. Now I see them through the lens of someone responsible for the team and how they can meet wider objectives.

As my career grows, a lot of the thoughts and opinions I have now on software delivery, management and leadership will change. And all the things I’m critical of will look very different when I’m on the other side of the fence.