Next Plan.
#thought provoking
Taking a Brief Break
Recently, I've unintentionally changed jobs multiple times. Through these experiences, I've noticed some downsides, such as:
- I’m unable to focus solely on one project.
- I have limited vacation days to fully relax, as I’ve changed jobs in spring rather than winter, so my vacation time resets in a way that doesn’t allow for a proper break.
Difficulty Focusing on a Single Project
The inability to fully focus on one project significantly impacts personal growth. It feels quite different from the times when I could immerse myself in a project through long-term commitment. In a way, I feel like an in-house contractor rather than part of a core team.
This lack of downtime has led me to start evaluating everything by its ROI (Return on Investment). Thoughts like "I’ll be able to rest once I complete this task" have taken hold, which I think ties into my sense of psychological safety.
Since psychological safety has come up, I’d like to reflect on why I’ve frequently changed jobs lately.
- I couldn’t fully utilize my experience.
- This was a big reason for feeling like an in-house contractor.
This single issue seemed to be the root of it all. When you lack decision-making authority, you begin to feel as though your role is becoming purely consumptive. It made it increasingly hard to resolve conflicts through communication. I often felt that there was a significant communication barrier that was difficult to overcome.
My philosophy for developing products is as follows:
- The focus should be on the completeness of the product itself.
- Some may argue that pursuing product completeness in a small company is a luxury.
- My personal view differs. The level of completion for a product like YouTube versus a new product may vary greatly.
- Ultimately, achieving the necessary completeness for a given scale is essential even to produce an MVP.
- Of course, expecting YouTube-level quality from a small product is unrealistic.
- Policies should have a structure, and a single policy will eventually impact the entire service.
- If the planning stage isn’t thorough, it could lead to long-term debt across the service.
- Again, it’s unrealistic to expect YouTube-level policy for a smaller product.
- However, even small-scale products should have a minimal but essential policy structure.
Recently, a combination of declining psychological safety and my philosophy for product development feeling like a luxury started to make me feel increasingly uneasy.
I felt it would be a shame if I merely criticized or blamed others emotionally, so I avoided doing so and tried not to dwell on such thoughts.
In the end, I began thinking, "How should I move forward from here?" The Next Plan I envisioned is as follows.
Next Plan: Career Perspective
I’m still considering my career direction. I’d like to join a company where I can give my utmost commitment. Of course, this depends on being invited into someone else’s "house," so it’s up to them to open the door.
My criteria for a company where I can fully invest myself are:
- A place with a similar perspective on products, where I can find like-minded people.
- A company where the product being developed has sustainability.
- (If it’s an early-stage company) A place where there’s potential for sustained growth.
- A place that seeks to resolve problems rather than simply patch them.
If a company meets these four criteria, I’d consider it a good match. This time, I plan to take my time with the search rather than rush.
Next Plan: Side Project Perspective
As I mentioned in my retrospective post, I am currently working on a personal project to showcase my abilities.
The project is called Billets. Since I wanted to create an app related to concert tickets, I needed a term for "ticket." "Tickets" felt too common in English, so I went with the French word "Billets," which means tickets or receipts.
I’m building the official landing page. I also integrated my brand, COLDSURF, into the page ‣
Currently, my focus is on the app development with a target of releasing the iOS app by the end of November ‣
Sidebar - Introducing Dice
One of the platforms that I draw the most inspiration from is Dice. It's one of my favorite services, although it’s not fully available in Korea yet. I first used it during a trip to the UK in the fall of 2019, and I was very impressed. Dice handles everything from ticket payment to verification. In places where small local venues thrive, like Europe or the US, it’s an excellent app. For people like me, who prefer smaller venues, Dice is an essential app. I’m using it as a reference for my project.
Sidebar - Concerns Regarding Copyright
My biggest concern currently is copyright, rather than technical development. Even a small app that gains some visibility and begins displaying ads, like those from AdMob, can become a commercial product. This is especially concerning since concert IP is a critical aspect of the content. I’m worried about potential copyright issues regarding concert posters and artist images. Copyright is not a trivial issue—once you’re involved in a legal dispute, it can get very intense. I’m considering either using AI to generate images or developing a simple image generator as an alternative.
Developing proactively in a domain I love, with a focus on creating something people will use, has been incredibly fulfilling. It felt as though the past six years of development led up to this moment. It was a deeply rewarding experience.
I plan to continue the development of Billets steadily. Since I’ll have time to focus on it during my break, I hope to release it by the end of November. After the release, I plan to do paid marketing to attract users and then think about the next steps.