Welcome to My Blog: Getting Real, Relaunching, and What's Next
A look at why I stopped writing, what I've been up to (from marathons to job transitions), and what to expect on this blog.
After a long break from writing, I am relaunching this blog.
If you read my previous drafts, they probably sounded like typical corporate announcements—blaming the hiatus on "shipping micro-frontends" or "scaling platform engineering." But the truth is simpler and much more human: I was busy living life, pushing my limits, and learning in the background.
The Real Story: Why I Stopped Writing
Last year was a whirlwind of physical, mental, and professional milestones. Here is where my energy actually went:
1. Pushing Physical Limits
I stepped away from the keyboard to challenge my body. Over the past year, I:
- Completed a triathlon.
- Ran three marathons: the Toronto Marathon, the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and the Tamarack Ottawa Marathon.
Training for these endurance events taught me a lot about consistency, grit, and managing energy—lessons that translate directly into how I approach long-term engineering projects.
2. Job Transitions
I navigated two major career moves:
- Transitioned from Scotiabank to HelloFresh, where I led frontend platform initiatives.
- Joined Questrade as a Principal Full-Stack Engineer.
Adapting to new systems, establishing trust, and understanding different organizational cultures took a significant amount of focus and dedication.
3. Mentorship & Deep-Diving
Instead of writing public articles, I focused on direct interaction and core fundamentals:
- Conducted 1-on-1 mentorship sessions on ADPList, helping other engineers navigate their career paths.
- Went back to basics, deep-diving into engineering fundamentals and reading key books that shaped my architectural mindset, including:
- Software Architecture: The Hard Parts by Neal Ford, Mark Richards, Pramod Sadalage, and Zhamak Dehghani
- Staff Engineer by Will Larson
- The Software Engineer's Guidebook by Gergely Orosz
Why I'm Back Now
Having settled into my role at Questrade and completed those athletic milestones, I finally have the space and time to focus on personal projects again.
I want to get back to writing, sharing my knowledge, and creating video content. As part of this relaunch, I've integrated this blog directly into codesandtags.github.io as a single Next.js project. No separate deployment pipelines or disconnected stacks—just a clean, unified workflow.
I will also be continuing to create content on my YouTube channel, bringing these written concepts to life.
What You Can Expect This Year
Looking ahead, my goals are centered on two main pillars where I want to expand my expertise:
1. Deep-Diving into AI
I'll be honest: I lack deep knowledge in AI topics, and it has become a clear area of growth for me. This year, I am committed to learning AI fundamentals, playing with integrations, and documenting my journey here as I build up that knowledge.
2. Micro-Frontends in Data-Intensive Architectures
Building micro-frontends is one thing, but operating them within data-intensive architectures—where performance, real-time synchronization, and complex data streams are critical—is a different beast. I'll be sharing design patterns, architectural decisions, and trade-offs in this space.
3. Software Architecture & Engineering Leadership
Drawing from my daily work as a Principal Engineer, I'll write about system design, scaling teams, building technical consensus, and the transition from individual contributor to staff/principal roles.
Thank you for reading, and I'm excited to share this next chapter with you.
— Edwin / @codesandtags