Around October 2018 I put myself forward for a tech lead vacancy that had appeared internally, thinking that this was the next logical step forward in my career. I didn't get on with the role particularly well for many reasons, including factors outside work affecting me at the time. But from a software development point of view, I really missed being hands on and to be honest, the role was really an engineering manager role and management just isn't my thing.

To cut a long story short, I went back to a senior engineer role but, after a while, I stopped enjoying that role too. I've had a few years to reflect on this and for me, it boils down to one thing. I was too attached to the product I was building. I was too attached because I really believed in it and I thought we could make it better than we were currently (it was a prototype put into production that just grew and grew and grew...)

What I realise now, as a developer, is that I should certainly care about the product but only up to a point. The point where business decisisons are made (or not made) about what the product should do, where it should go next and how it should grow, should not be something I ultimately care about beyond it keeping me employed (and not becoming tech for evil). This is something that can be influenced by me, but not controlled. I became jaded, cynical and disheartened because I couldn't control these decisions.

Ultimately, build with the best quality in mind that you can. If who you work for wants to keep putting square pegs into round holes and they're pretty convinced, then say your piece constructively and move on.