I Don’t Want to Be a Software Engineer Like This Anymore

I’ve been thinking a lot about my career lately, and this felt like the right time to finally put it somewhere public.

I’m a software engineer, and I still enjoy building software. There’s something deeply satisfying about creating something that solves a real problem for real people. That part hasn’t gone away. What has changed is how I feel about the role I’m expected to play long term.

I don’t want my entire career to be defined by grinding tickets, fixing small UI bugs, and shipping things I don’t feel connected to. Those details matter, especially for user experience, but I don’t feel energized living only at that level. I care more about the bigger picture. Why a product exists. Who it’s for. How it reaches people. Whether it actually matters once it’s shipped.

Lately, what’s excited me most is the ideation stage. Identifying problems. Thinking through solutions. Coming up with ideas that feel genuinely new, not just something stitched together because it was easy to implement. I want to be involved in the reasoning behind what gets built, not only the implementation details.

Because of that, I’ve been thinking a lot about sales and marketing. At first, that surprised me. But the more I reflect on it, the more it makes sense. The same problem solving mindset I use in engineering applies there too. If the goal is growth, distribution, or adoption, then it becomes a system to break down and improve.

At the last two startups I worked at, I was given space to explore those areas. It wasn’t forced. It happened naturally through conversations, opportunities, and curiosity. That experience made me realize I don’t want to box myself into being only “the software guy.” I want range. I want leverage.

My long term goal has always been to create something that a lot of people actually use. Right now, one of my biggest gaps is distribution. I can build, but I can’t sell yet. I can’t reliably grow an audience. I don’t have the reps. That’s something I want to change.

I’ve been working on Zenergy on and off for about a year. It’s a productivity app built around energy levels, priorities, and what actually matters day to day. I’m planning to rebuild it from the ground up. Not just technically, but strategically. I’ve learned better tools, better debugging habits, and better development practices from working at startups. More importantly, I’ve learned how mission, vision, and execution all connect when you’re building something from scratch.

This feels like a transition point for me. Not away from software, but toward something broader. Building products, learning how to get them in front of people, and making mistakes in public so I can get better faster.

This blog, along with my YouTube channel, is part of that process. I struggle with writing things out perfectly. Talking things through feels more natural. This is me doing that, just in a different format.