In the past few weeks, I was working on a project which can make my workflow more efficient. Specifically, the Excel files our financial software creates have a problem. We have to wait several minutes, even over ten minutes in order to open a single file. I addressed the problem and decided to find a solution to convert these type of files to a normal Excel book file that would take a maximum of two minutes.
Unfortunately, this was not an easy job, or at least not as easy as I thought. The functions I needed were always clear in my mind, but the reality was another story. Those popular modules that existed online were not perfect either. Since they are not designed to deal with every situation, I have to read their codes and customize them from time to time. Finally, in order to let my colleagues use this tool, I need to code a UI, which I had never done before.
I was coding all the time both in and out of business hours until midnight. Regardless of my overtime, I didn’t get any extra pay. During the period of time, the new girl I was hanging out with dumped me in an ugly way. I was working under extreme stress and in a depression. Although at this point, I highly regretted the idea of making a program, there was no chance for me to turn back.
Eventually, the compact small tool I was working on was released within the department. Considering that not only are we not an IT company but also I am not in an IT department, nobody really appreciated what I have done. I felt a sense of release, but I was not happy. I was the one that created the weird situation, so there was no one to blame but myself.
For a long time, I couldn’t understand why companies throw everything to consulting firms. Recently, our company paid a huge amount of money for data analysis. The fancy word “AI” the consulting firm used is absolutely misleading. The techniques they are using are actually machine learning models. This kind of data analysis can totally be done in-house if the company assembled several people with the proper knowledge.
However, after experiencing what I mentioned above, my mind was changed. Chances are just because we can do something, doesn’t necessarily mean we should because our time and energy are limited. My duties are making a budget and strategies, which have nothing to do with coding at all. Unless coding is indeed needed, I should have not spent so much time on that. If I insist on doing stuff like this, my supervisor may recommend that I find another job. The result is foreseeable.
This experience gave me a wonderful lesson. From now on, I will focus exclusively on my own duties and leave work that doesn’t belong to me alone.
