What is your biggest failure as a software developer? Once, just before a critical demo in front of a customer, I realized a very ignorable issue no one might have noticed. But I was perfectionist, made a few changes in last minute in software and hardware configs. Which caused a disastrous demo. - ThreadSky

cagatayozdemir.bsky.social • 215 days ago

What is your biggest failure as a software developer?

Once, just before a critical demo in front of a customer, I realized a very ignorable issue no one might have noticed.

But I was perfectionist, made a few changes in last minute in software and hardware configs. Which caused a disastrous demo.

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paul.fornage.org•213 days ago

I'm still looking for a job, so no disastrous rm -rf'ing the prod DB, but over generalizing the architecture.

paul.fornage.org•213 days ago

I'll start with a goal like exporting a batch of files from an API, and a week later I'll have a rust lib with programmatic binding for that API and no working program.

I need to realize that there's nothing wrong with using a shitty script filled with string literals sometimes.

cagatayozdemir.bsky.social•213 days ago

Indeed, starting small steps with prototyping and moving towards a more streamlined program can be more effective.

cagatayozdemir.bsky.social•214 days ago

In general people do not like talking about their failures.

My special thanks go to @fool-stack.dev and @magickshel.bsky.social for their courage 👍

fool-stack.dev•214 days ago

I can write a book about my failures I think. If one do not fail enough maybe someone needs to take a bit more risk I think.

magickshel.bsky.social•214 days ago

I just remembered my absolute worst mistake. Was consulting for a bank and used them to demo some software. Long story short, posted demo PDF that invisibly contained account info for a $1M+ customer of the bank. Was indexed by Google who displayed in plain text. Narrowly avoided lawsuit.

cagatayozdemir.bsky.social•213 days ago

Wow! Could be stressing back then. Good that lawsuit is avoided 😅

magickshel.bsky.social•214 days ago

I've been there. I wish I could say only once.

I don't know if I could pick just one moment, but I'll nominate my tendency to deep dive into code and start messing with really low-level stuff thinking I was getting hard things done without asking myself, "Doesn't there have to be an easier way?"

cagatayozdemir.bsky.social•214 days ago

Good that you shared. I was prone to that too.

But in the last years I started a reflex asking myself if there could be an easier solution. Also I push my team to ask the same question to themselves and each other too. Especially I love arranging brainstorming sessions with technical people.

fool-stack.dev•214 days ago

I think once sending test emails as real emails by accident.

cagatayozdemir.bsky.social•214 days ago

The outcome was painful or laughable mistake?

fool-stack.dev•214 days ago

I don’t know, I told person I was working for very quickly. Never heard about issue, later company wanted to promote me to something like CTO or something (was not big company), but I declined because I did not want more responsibility.

cagatayozdemir.bsky.social•214 days ago

Sounds like not a big one then. Thanks for sharing!

Power comes with responsibility. Priorities in life matter in such decisions imo.

fool-stack.dev•214 days ago

I was working a while subcontracted when I made email error, was not really nice toward my real employer maybe to try to hire me directly in such a role I think. But was not reason I declined.

fool-stack.dev•214 days ago

You seem to have taken on more responsibility than coding. Are you happy having more responsibility and code less or you do not code less?

cagatayozdemir.bsky.social•214 days ago

I loved this question! I came to a point in my career that I am coding less and less except I spare extra time to try things out.

At first this transition made me feel guilty as if I am not adding much value.

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