[Thread] What are some examples of human craftsmanship that you appreciate?

Just sharing a random thought that I feel is very important, would love to get your thoughts on it as well. I've been in startups for ~5 years now, and my big realization is that the best people know when to go all-in into an idea and close the loop: in terms of making sure resources are put behind the project, founders' approval exists, and people are championed behind it's execution It's super easy to come up with 3-4 ideas every month, share it, move on to the next ones. Most commonly, some execution also happens, but then people eventually lose interest... they are too stuck on being an idea generator, and often times there is a missing culture of seeing things to fruition. But the joy of having thought of something, seeing it succeed/fail, get to a logical conclusion is unparalleled. It's the most beautiful way to learn how 0 to 1 actually works, and makes sure you learn to execute, not just think. The happiness lies in seeing the early signs of success, and then some mid-stage and late-stage signs of success. This culture within early team members makes a startup successful. It makes you successful, if you're the person behind it. So to everyone who's still early within startups (especially early stage), try to close the loop on those ideas you find to be wonderful. You'll never again have to think about what to write on your CV or what to say in an interview. TLDR: Execute your ideas with as much excitement as you had when you first thought of them, don't lose track. From other operators, would love to get your thoughts on this. What have you seen? Do you feel differently?

Hey Folks, Continuing from my previous post. Any designer here who feels they are really skilled yet stuck doing mediocre work😶‍🌫️? I am looking for individuals who are designing for the passion of craft, individuals who gets to uncharted depths of user understanding, individuals who have realized they are more than just designers. Comment or DM your portfolio or proudest work till date irrespective of your experience level. I will reach out to the right folks individually 🫰🏻

Will entertain only serious questions that respect anonymity. I don’t mind humor, but trolling is strict no no. Conducted one AMA session last week & was overwhelmed by both number & positive feedback. I might choose to skip any question repeated from last time. Some things about me - I love to code & go beyond coding - Managed a team of around 20 people before - I love mentoring people - Presently overseeing the architecture and lifecycle of a suite of products Don’t mind me giving you some useful gyan 😀

for me. i spent college studying for grades and 20s making money in a job I don't like, but never got to make the memories I should've with all my friends. I regret doing all of that

Lately, seeing many posts on Grapevine around work being transactional. Something where you put in X hours and get paid Y. It can possibly mean a combination of two things: 1. They're not emotionally vested in the work they do everyday. Perhaps, something else interests them more. 2. They're several degrees of connection away from the impact they make. Imagine a Backend Engineer, who corresponds with their EM who in-turn corresponds to the Product team who in turn talk with the users. Essentially, the backend engineer is 2 degrees away from the users. In most large organisations you can be 5+ degrees of connection away from the people you impact. Hence, they feel that the work they do is not purposeful enough. What do you all think about this? Do you find your work purposeful?

My last post (share.gvine.app/W6sQvon7d7H2qau89) saw a lot of opinions & criticism from many members in the community. For anyone who is offended by any of my comments, I truly apologize. Given the fact that some folks asked for constructive pointers, I decided to pen this down. These are just a set of points that I think would benefit some of you (not all!) in the long run: - Speak at conferences & meet-up — We have definitely seen a boom of them in India. A lot of folks continue to miss out on them for various reasons. If you are working on some exciting stuff, go ahead and submit a proposal for an upcoming meetup. Trust me, this is definitely something that you can use to actually build your personal brand. - Build some projects: Last month, I had to start taking interviews for the India team. I noticed the lack of projects, with many mentioning what they built during their college/interview assignments. Many complain that most of their work is proprietary, but it won't be bad to do a weekend hack around something they are passionate about. - Contribute to open-source: For some folks, this might sound almost cliche! Anyone who gets to contribute to any noticeable project today, will open a box of opportunities. I have known dozens of devs by now, who started contributing (out of passion?) and went ahead to work on impactful projects (while making good money!). - Seek interesting problems: A lot of devs I have interacted with have not sought companies, but problems! One of our competitors saw their investor join them as a part-time engineer (yes, he loves to code!). Builders always have this mindset to build — Luckily we have so many programs today that inculcate this. There are plenty of more ideas! The utmost emphasis for any SDE would be to become a Professional (with a capital P), become a craftsperson and take pride in your work! If you can't show anything substantial, your entire career building would be non-serious with sole purpose of money-making!

Seen a couple of posts which tried to choose between a higher salary and an interesting job. I think finding meaning in your work goes further from the work becoming as interesting as a hobby. With a good pay and decent WLB you'll be able to make your life way more fulfilling. I've gotten into a couple of sports, gym often, socialise and travel around.

Being self-aware, I understand how privileged I am. In spite of whatever is happening in the startup ecosystem, most of us are extremely privileged. WFH when it rains or when you are not in the mood to come to the office. Salary comes on time Have AC homes and offices Delivery apps like Zomato, Amazon, Big Basket to get so much work done. I feel extreme levels of guilt when I see blue collar folks slog themselves throughout a day to get meagre pays. Sure, their work is not intellectually challenging but extremely physically challenging. The kind of physical activity that they have to do irrespective of what weather it is just pains my heart. I know that this divide has been there for centuries and will remain in the future too. I try to help them wherever I can. This is a problem that for sure cannot solve for everyone ever. Want to understand how I can overcome this guilt that I have?

Good design is seamless and intuitive, making tasks feel effortless. Poor design, however, stands out because it disrupts the user experience, causing frustration and drawing attention to its flaws. In my first job, I spent weeks perfecting a report template, streamlining data presentation and enhancing readability. It was used without comment. Later, I hurriedly created a less refined version for a different project. My manager berated me for the confusing layout, yet never acknowledged the efficiency of the initial template.

Disclaimer: I have nothing against high earners in this group who are doing exceptionally well and earning big bucks at young age. You have my admiration. Target audience of this post: Everyone else who is doing okay in their job, earning an average salary for their age. Why have I posted it?: To not feel I am the only one who is a normal regular person doing just average in his life in this hyper competitive rat race. My thoughts: I clearly remember the moment, it was April 2007, I had barely completed the board exams of class 10th and joined class 11th. It was my first week into class 11th when a fine looking gentleman walked into our class to make us think of our future career path. He was from a coaching institute for IIT JEE and AIEEE. He told us about all the high salary packages at these premier institutes. I excitedly told my parents about it. Like any middle class parents, they dreamt of their son cracking the exam and securing good placements from IITs/NITs. They enrolled me in coaching. I worked hard for those 2 years, 11th and 12th. But what was harder was the constant stress and pressure I was put in, both intentionally and unintentionally. These ideas that 'I must crack JEE to have a good future', 'if you don't get through JEE then you are a waste' etc, were hammered into my mind day in and day out. I didn't crack JEE but got into a well reputed private engineering college of India.. Fast forward 4 years, did my MBA from tier 2 college only to join a service company at salary that would be considered too low for most of the folks here who compare salary like a plague. Recently joined a product company with good jump. Realised all that pressure I was put under in high school wasn't necessary. I am doing ok in life. I think it's okay to be earning an average salary, everyone of us is on his own journey of growth and comparing ourselves on basis of packages seems myopic Too much gyaan? Getting a perspective on late Saturday night!!!