It all began a few years back, with a group of old friends getting together over a crazy idea: to build a ticketing system for WordPress, but make it sleek, useful, and something we could all be proud of. What we ended up with was this Ruby on Rails masterpiece, complete with multitenancy and a neat plugin to tie it all together. 

It was a great product and it was working pretty well, unfortunately, we didn't make any sales, but it was fun and we were happy with the outcome so much that we even use it to this day for other stuff we work on. That's got to count for something, right?

Then came the next adventure. The chemistry between the three of us seemed to be pretty strong so I started to collaborate on their original project, and I found myself getting more involved than ever. I started small but soon was adding bits and pieces that really seemed to make a difference. I enjoyed coding for that product and I was very much eager to improve it giving my best shot every time. But not everything was as rosy as it seemed.

We hit a huge obstacle when it came to how we handled our JavaScript. I was all for shaking things up, introducing event management, cutting down on the chaos of global variables, and bringing in new technologies like modules to make everything more maintainable. But the CTO? Not so much. Our back-and-forths felt less about the code and more like a clash of thoughts and theories. It was frustrating, feeling like progress was being obstructed for no good reason.

The worst, and most painful, part of the story came when I brought up the elephant in the room: what exactly was my role in all of this? The answer hit me like a ton of bricks.

It turns out, that our "chemistry" wasn't good enough "on this particular project", and just like that, my contributions were brushed off as nothing more than a charity's efforts.

Reflecting on this life experience, I've come to see the value of clear communication and having everyone on the same page. It's tough realizing your work isn't seen as you see it, but it's also a lesson in teamwork and matching the right partners for the job. 

But here's the thing – this setback won't knock me down. Instead, it will teach me resilience and the importance of keeping a clear vision, even when the road takes an unexpected turn. I'm walking away from this experience wiser, ready to take on new challenges and opportunities with a fresh perspective.

So, here's to the next chapter. May it be filled with learning, growth, and, most importantly, understanding the true value of collaboration and respect in bringing visions to life.