As 2025 comes to a close, I look back with gratitude and pride. This was the year I consciously chose to go “Back to Basics” – rolling up my sleeves, writing code again, solving problems myself, and reconnecting with why I fell in love with technology in the first place.
Instead of always reaching for the newest framework or vendor solution, I asked myself:
“Can I build this myself? Can I make it simpler, faster, and cheaper?”
Most of the time, the answer was yes — and the results speak for themselves.
💡 This year reminded me that innovation doesn’t always mean complicated architecture; sometimes it’s just caring enough to fix things properly.
🚀 Key Results Delivered in 2025
- Cost Avoidance Through In-House Innovation
I repeatedly challenged the question:
“Do we really need to spend this money?”
By building working prototypes myself and demonstrating them to stakeholders, I convinced architecture and procurement teams that we could deliver equal or better solutions internally.
➡️ Outcome: Significant licensing costs avoided, while keeping full control and flexibility in our hands.
- Dramatically Improved System Processing TAT
Thanks to targeted tuning and smart optimizations:
➡️ Processing TAT improved by >40%
This enabled the business to onboard more partners and capture market opportunities faster.
- Production Stability & Efficiency Gains Across the Board
I consistently focused on resilience and operational excellence:
Enhanced multiple SQL jobs
Implemented permanent fixes for recurring incidents
Continuous improvements to dashboards for better visibility
Strengthened production discipline
Faster incident detection
Better runbooks
Reduced operational toil through small but impactful automation
Improved overall system performance and stability
Many of these were never assigned projects.
They started with:
“I noticed something and I couldn’t let it go.”
That, for me, was the real win.
🌟 Values & Behaviors I Demonstrated
✔ Ownership & Initiative
I didn’t wait for permission. If something was broken, slow, risky, or expensive — I fixed it or proposed a better way.
✔ Cost Consciousness & Pragmatism
Proved again that we don’t always need expensive vendor tools.
Sometimes the best solution is a few hundred lines of clean, well-tested code written by someone who cares.
✔ Customer-First Mindset
Every change answered one question:
“How does this help the business grow or serve customers better?”
Faster bureau processing → more loans approved → happier customers and partners.
✔ Technical Craftsmanship
Going back to basics meant:
Writing code again
Debugging at 2 a.m. when needed
Testing thoroughly
Documenting properly
Leaving systems better than I found them
✔ Courage to Challenge the Status Quo
I pushed back on vendor recommendations when I knew we could do better internally — with confidence and evidence.
🧠 Innovation & Efficiency – The Real Story
This year proved that real innovation doesn’t always require GenAI, microservices, or expensive licenses.
Sometimes it’s simply:
Looking at legacy code with fresh eyes
Asking “Why do we still do it this way?”
Changing one configuration
Rewriting one job
Building a quick prototype
Saving hundreds of thousands in licensing
Simple. Effective. Impactful.
And honestly — deeply satisfying. 😄
❤️ The Biggest Lesson of 2025
Going “Back to Basics” was the best professional decision I made.
I rediscovered the pure joy of solving problems with code.
I learned that I don’t need to be the smartest person in the room —
I just need to:
Care more
Dig deeper
Ship faster
Build with heart
In a world obsessed with the next shiny tool, there is real power in mastering the fundamentals:
reading logs, understanding data flows, writing scripts, and delivering things that work today and cost less tomorrow.
🔭 Looking Ahead to 2026
With AI assistants now at everyone’s fingertips, the bar is higher than ever.
But I’m carrying the same mindset forward:
Start simple
Question assumptions
Build it yourself first
Only buy or complicate when truly necessary
Thank you to the stakeholders, managers and team for trusting me, challenging me, and giving me space to innovate.
2025 reminded me why I chose this profession in the first place.
🙏 Special Thanks
To my amazing wife for inspiring me every day, and to my two daughters who give me strength and purpose. You are my constant motivation. ❤️
I end the year tired — but happy — and excited to code again tomorrow.
Back to Basics worked in 2025.
Let’s keep that spirit alive in 2026. 🚀
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