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PJHoon - Craftmanship

hobbycareertech

I recently brought PJHoon back as part of my portfolio showcase (I’d applied for a Data Engineering role but forgot to include it, LOL).

IMG_0046.jpeg(open zoomable view) The first thing that came to mind was: WOW, I used to be this good.

Not because of any fancy architectural design or killer feature (it only has OAuth login, Data Integration, and a Computation Engine), but because of the attention to detail in the UI, the UX, the code organization, and more. Every animation and its timing were carefully observed, judged, and tuned so that users would feel as comfortable as possible. Every click was considered, every platform supported, everything responsive.

It might not be perfect, but it’s definitely better than all my later projects, which were vibe-coded, even though it’s older and less interesting. It’s so… me: an over-engineered app with tons of premature optimizations that still can’t serve E2E (a Data Platform is huge, you know).

It made me rethink what Software Engineering will look like in the near future:

  • AI will pair with us across the whole SDLC, mostly in coding (and increasingly in architectural design too), while we mainly drive as Product Owners.
  • POCs can be built far more efficiently with AI, and they quickly reach industry standards.
  • We will focus on polishing the product in areas where AI has little to no impact. This is what gives a product its soul: styling and design that carry the Owner’s signature. It’s one of the areas where a Product Owner contributes the most value.