I’m currently in what I call my "Cage-Break" year.
I stepped away from the traditional education system for a year—not to take a break, but to escape the "fixed learning" cage. I wanted to see if I could learn more by actually building (Edge AI, model optimization, shrinking BERT models) than by sitting in a lecture hall.
But while I’ve been out here in the real world, I’ve noticed a massive irony in the tech industry:
Experienced developers are trapped in their own cages.
They aren’t trapped by school systems; they’re trapped by "Industry Standards." I see startups with zero users building architectures designed for Google-level traffic. They’re building 50-story foundations for a shed.
Here’s why your "Scalable Architecture" is actually a suicide note for your project:
1. You’re solving "Level 100" problems at "Level 1"
In my drop year, I’ve learned that the hardest part of tech isn't writing the code—it's finding out if the code needs to exist.
I see devs spending weeks setting up Kubernetes clusters and microservices for a MVP. They’re worrying about "database sharding" before they even have a database. This isn't engineering; it’s procrastination via architecture.
2. The "Clean Code" Delusion
Institutional learning teaches you that there is a "Right Way" to write code. But when you’re building to survive, "Right" is whatever ships today.
I spent time shrinking a 255MB BERT model by 75% so it could run offline. That’s efficiency. But I’ve seen devs refuse to ship a feature because the folder structure wasn't "clean" enough. They’re choosing aesthetic perfection over market reality.
Newsflash: Your users don't care about your clean abstractions. They care if the app works.
3. Architecture Theater
We’ve turned "Scaling" into a status symbol. If your stack isn't "Complex," you don't feel like a "Senior."
But my time spent in the "Wild" has taught me the opposite: Complexity is a liability. Every extra layer you add is a layer that can break, a layer that costs money, and a layer that slows down your ability to pivot.
The most "Senior" move you can make is choosing the simplest, most "boring" tool that gets the job done.
4. Build for the "Now," Scale for the "Ouch"
If your startup dies, it won’t be because your API couldn’t handle 1 million requests per second. It’ll be because you spent all your time building for those 1 million people and forgot to build something the first 10 people actually liked.
Scalability is a "Champagne Problem." If you hit it, you’ve already won. Until then, stay scrappy.
The Dropout’s Conclusion:
Taking this year to learn and build has shown me that the "Standard Way" is often just a slow way. Whether you're in a classroom or a corporate office, don't let "fixed ways of thinking" stop you from being efficient.
Stop building for the "Future You" who has a massive team. Build for the "Current You" who needs to prove the idea works before the clock runs out.
Ship the "ugly" code. Use the monolith. Scale when it hurts— not because a textbook told you to.
Are we over-engineering because we’re scared of failing? Or because we’re trying to look "Professional"?
Top comments (2)
I've been reading your posts for a while now and have really noticed a change in how you think and write. It's clear that you're grappling with more nuance and real-world considerations, especially in this latest piece. I think you nailed the tradeoff between over-engineering and just getting something out there.
I completely get where you're coming from. I've seen startups waste time building these beautiful, scalable systems that are never going to be used. Meanwhile, they're stuck with a bunch of over-engineered code that's a nightmare to maintain. Shipping ugly code and scaling when you need to is so much more realistic.
Your ideas are definitely benefiting from more experience and testing. Keep pushing yourself to explore different perspectives – it's paying off.
Thanks for the feedback! It means a lot, especially since I'm still quite new to this. I'm only a year out of school and haven't experienced college yet, so I'm trying to approach everything with a 'beginner’s mind' while I spend this year building.
I’ve realized that being 'new' is actually a bit of a superpower—it makes the irony of over-engineering stand out even more. I’m definitely still learning, but I’m excited to keep sharing these observations as I run into them!