Comment by Filipe Picoito on "What are your biggest challenges with staying healthy in software development?"

Hey there,

I'd like to congratulate you on the channel - very interesting talks you have there. I haven't checked everything but I'm truly intrigued.

I'm not sure you have talked about this but I often find my self wondering about the different aspects of software development and how different people have different strong points. I've met professionals who excel at finding the very best solutions, some others were amazing on finding the quickest solutions, others were great on business logic and how to apply it, etc... So with that in mind I'd love to know about the "adventure" of finding your true talent within software development and how can you invest in it, and even how can you cope with understanding that your strong point might not be what you invested so hard at.

I know this might seem like a very "open" topic but personally I love to find strong points in other people so I can motivate them to embrace it and bring out the best in them by investing in what they're already good at.

Interesting question Filipe! Many teams I work on think I'm a great technologist, but what they soon find out about me is I'm actually really hard on myself.

I shared on some of the videos on my channel how my last job burned me out because of my employer (consulting agency) putting me on too many troubled projects. I was talking to my wife about this and trying to figure out why. She helped me see that even though I was frustrated - it was a sign that the company could trust me to care enough to turn a problem with a client around. This helped me get over some of the bitterness I initially felt.

What I've found I'm most passionate about is a) more creativity and b) less certainty. I think you'll find many of the videos on my channel reflect this. When teams are setup with a ton of controls and process it usually seems to be just to stroke the ego of those in power. They aren't comfortable with letting their vision unfold unpredictably and be influenced more by customers and the team - which is what happens when a truly innovative software product is built (in my experience).

So anything I can do to help others develop software with more freedom, a better mindset to accept that things will happen unpredictably, and harness the creativity in everyone (I hate "command and control" structures) is my focus!

It is a blessing when someone else's perspective can change our own, such as your wife did with you.

Had never thought about creativity versus certainty and it seems to me like a very interesting topic as well although some people work better following very strict structures and some others like to be creative and inventive but even within those two different types of people there are small things where they excel at and IMO that needs to be harvested - if anything to keep the person motivated as they realize their potential.

So far I like your channel mostly due to the personal examples that you bring to the table - I feel like the more things are "tangible" the more you can relate to them and therefore the better you can understand them.

Thanks for the additional feedback Filipe. I definitely struggle sometimes with making things tangible since everyone has a (valid) opinion and there is no one-size-fits-all solution to most computer science (and people) problems.

I hope by sharing my experiences, I can keep the conversation moving forward, and maybe people can at least consider some alternative views. It can be a frustrating industry when there is so much "my way is the right way" thinking.

I definitely don't think I know all the answers, but I also want to encourage people to be more open to new ideas. It's only when I've been able to be more humble and open my mind to someone's challenge, that I usually learn. I can be just as pigheaded as everyone else when I'm not careful. :)

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