Back to coding
Over the past few months, I've had the fortunate opportunity to focus on coding quietly. What surprises me is how pleasant coding remains, even at the age of 34.
It almost doesn’t really matter what kind of code I’m writing - whether it’s prototyping an AI application, implementing mobile app features or just leet coding, all it matters is as long as I “enter the flow”, the mind works in an effortless and automatic matter. Time goes by fast, my stress level takes a nose dive (as measured by HRV on my Garmin), my mind quiets down, and I code my way into happiness. And, if through the coding, I learn something new, or if the code is useful—whether it earns my paycheck, helps someone, or integrates into a larger architecture—, it’s an icing on the cake.
I’m not a great coder tho - that probably has to do with transitioning to management too early in my career. One of my mentor has said the wise words: “So if you think you are ready to give up the satisfaction of a commit you might be on the right track. (To become a manager)”. And satisfaction of a code commit was exactly what I missed after transitioning to manager. Source for satisfaction for a manager is far fewer and far less predictable than an engineer, that’s something I wish I had known, and encourage folks to think twice, before becoming a manager.
I may still go back to the management career, and the silver lining is that coding makes someone a better manager too. When coding, while reflecting on being a manager at the same time, brings deeper understanding what makes a good manager - knowing what matters to an engineer’s experience (e.g. uninterrupted block of time, predictability, dev tools, codebase quality), what manager say adds value vs distracting (avoid vague open questions, operate at lowest level possible), and how to find good engineers. These sounds like text book answers, but experiencing them from an engineer’s perspective first hand, again, makes a difference.
Not sure how long I can keep coding but I cherish each moment I could still do so.
