While reading "The Strategic Software Engineer" by @bahdcoder Mr. Frantz Karti, I came across something that really clarified a thought I've been having about software engineering. Being a good solo software engineer is VERY different from being a good software engineer in a company. As a freelancer, you've gotten used to owning almost everything. You make the architectural decisions. You choose the stack. You build the frontend and backend. You handle the database. You deploy. You debug. You deal with the client. If something breaks, You figure it out. But working in a company is a different game. You no longer just solving technical problems. You're solving them with people you may have never worked with before, inside systems you didn't design, following decisions you didn't make. And that's where you realized: "My solution works" isn't always enough. You have to think about whether another engineer can understand it, whether it fits the existing architecture, whether it's maintainable, how it affects other parts of the system, and whether you can properly communicate and defend my decisions. You also have to learn how to receive criticism about your code, review someone else's work, disagree without being difficult, ask for help properly, and work with people who think differently from me. Reading this book helped me put words to something I hadn't really separated before: Being a strong solo engineer and being a strong team engineer are related, but they're not the same skill. And I think learning both is a huge part of becoming a well-rounded software engineer. New or old software engineers, get this book "The Strategic Software Engineer" by Mr. Frant Karti. There is really a lot to learn from it. If you're just starting your career in tech, or you're already in tech; software engineering to be precise. I'd recommend giving it a read.