From the start of the article: " Build the thing in the simplest way you can, as fast as you can. You can improve it over time as needs demand."

Job security! Hell for everyone else.

I'm actually taking this tactic with my video tutorials. When I first started recording, it would take me weeks just to put together an hour video because I wanted everything to be perfect, and like they say, perfection is the enemy of done. Now I just go with the flow and have a lot more fun doing what I do, and I'm able to produce a lot more video.

I worked at the manufacturer of a certain computer system with a specific OS and database system. Being the Los Angeles software support manager, an active member and later the president of the user group, I got called in many times to evaluate a small modification in an application.

For example, I got called into one manufacturing site and they asked if I could add a "ship to future date" into the order entry form. I reviewed the form and said it would take me about 1/2 an hour and maybe $100 to add the field to the form. But making the actual shipment happen at a later date was going to be about another two weeks of work and maybe $2,000. And if they wanted to modify the just-in-time production scheduling software, we could take about six months and $25,000 more to do that.

BTW, they had just paid $75,000 for the computer/OD/Db and another $60,000 for the software, that didn't consider a customer may want to order for a future delivery date (since some of the products needed weeks to complete in manufacturing).

Yeah, build it quick and simple, bahahahaha

Richard I understand what you are saying about creating videos. I'm now being tortured by the task of creating them, not something I have any experience in. Mostly the problems are the combination of technical and my lacking the gift of off-the-cuff gab.

Now, if all your videos were of interrelated topics that had to drill down in the middle (rather than an accessory link) to further explain a deeper or more basic concept, well then you're in the role of video architect! That's why movies cost millions to make. In other words, you can create a video on a single topic, make it simple to explain the idea, but making it work with all your other simple software examples...? Enterprise software doesn't work that way.

Of course, I couldn't agree more with the article's observation about social skills or what we now call emotional intelligence. Like the author, I focused on keeping a low profile and getting the job done well. Only to see others take credit and get the raise and promotion based mostly on their ability to smile and play golf. But, when the dot-com bubble popped...

Yeah I could never go back to working for someone else and all the ass-kissery.