The Ups
Pair programming
Working at an education startup had its share of positives and challenges. One of the highlights was the strong focus on pair-programming within the engineering team. This collaborative approach fostered a great learning environment and helped improve code quality through continuous peer review.
The engineering team
The engineering team was a tight-knit group of talented individuals with diverse backgrounds and skill sets. This diversity brought a unique perspective to problem-solving and encouraged creative solutions to complex challenges.
Impactful work
One of the most rewarding aspects of working at a ed-tech startup was the opportunity to make a real impact on the lives of students and educators. The tools and systems we developed directly contributed to improving the learning experience for thousands of learners across the country.
The Downs
Technical debt
The team faced significant challenges due to overwhelming technical debt. This burden made it difficult to make quick decisions and implement new features efficiently. One of the most frustrating aspects was the need to rebuild the onboarding flow almost every year. Each iteration felt like starting from scratch, which hindered progress and innovation.
Lack of direction
The lack of direction within the company was a major obstacle. The absence of a strong product vision and roadmap made it challenging to prioritize tasks and make informed decisions. This often led to conflicting priorities and wasted effort on low-impact features.
Final thoughts
Despite the challenges, working at an education startup was a valuable experience that taught me a lot about teamwork, problem-solving, and resilience. The ups and downs of the journey helped me grow both personally and professionally, and Iām grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of such an impactful organization.
Check out some of the educational learning tools and systems I built at the startup.