undefined | Better HN

0 pointsmexicocitinluez1mo ago0 comments

> No projects, unless it's only you working on it, only yourself as the client, and is so rigid in it's scope, it's frankly useless, will have this mythical base.

This is naive. I've been building an EMR in the healthcare space for 5 years now as part of an actual provider. We've incrementally released small chunks when they're ready. The codebase I've built is the most consistent codebase I've ever been a part of.

It's bureaucracy AND government process AND constantly changing priorities and regulations and requirements from insurance providers all wrapped up into one. And as such, we have to take our time.

Go and tell the clinicians currently using it that it's not useful. I'm sure they won't agree.

> Perfectly architected code vs code that does the thing have no real world difference

This just flat out isn't true. Just because YOU haven't experience it (and I think you're quite frankly telling on yourself with this) doesn't mean it doesn't exist at all.

> Because you yourself had to choose between time/opportunity vs your ideals and you chose wrong.

Like I said above, you're telling on yourself. I'm not saying I've never been in this situation, but I am saying that it's not the only way to build software.

0 comments

adithyassekhar1mo ago

Lesson learned. Yes you are right. I am indeed a junior, I made that comment when I was tired honestly with a rushed project. There's no delete button, otherwise I'd have deleted it when I cooled off. Thank you for giving me hope that good code is still being made.

mexicocitinluezOP1mo ago

> Thank you for giving me hope that good code is still being made.

So I've been on both sides, and it's why I responded. While you are absolutely correct that those situations do exist, I just wanted to point out it's not always that way. And I felt exactly as you did about software in general until I finally found a place or two that wasn't just a cash printing machine.

And it's pretty awesome. I've come to realize burnout is less about the amount of hours you put in and more about what you're doing during those hours.

It's tough, especially in the beginning. Push through it. Get some experience that allows you to be a bit more selective in what you choose, and fingers-crossed you'll find yourself in the same spot. One common denominator in all of the good jobs I've had was that the leadership in those companies (3 of them) were all tech-focused. Could be a coincidence, but it's a pattern I've seen.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse