As the year comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on 2024 and share some highlights.
This year, I had the privilege of working as a freelance software engineer with three diverse clients across different industries:
- Industries: Finance/Insurance, Energy (IoT), and Industry (Intellectual Property)
- Locations: Germany, Spain, and Global (all remote)
- Tech Stack: Java, JavaScript, Spring, Cassandra, Postgres, Redis, Azure Cloud, Grafana, OpenTelemetry
What Did My Clients Value Most in 2024?
While generative AI captured much of the spotlight this year, the most impactful work I delivered for my clients revolved around performance optimization and observability.
Many of my clients operate mission-critical, battle-tested applications. These systems are often difficult to change — not just because they involve legacy code, but because they are core to the business. Every change requires deep analysis, clear insights, and substantial experience to ensure stability in their operations.
Performance challenges in such environments are rarely straightforward. While my clients possess excellent domain expertise, they often needed external guidance and support to systematically diagnose and resolve complex issues.
Where Observability Makes the Difference
Observability proved to be a game-changer. To tackle performance problems, it’s crucial to identify the patterns that degrade application performance. With the right observability tools and practices, my clients saw a high return on investment — not just in fixing bugs and improving performance but also in discovering new business opportunities.
By combining the efforts of internal teams with external expertise, we successfully enhanced the competitive edge of their applications.
Looking Ahead to 2025
I’m excited to tackle more high-stakes challenges in the coming year and to continue helping businesses build resilient, high-performing systems.
Wishing you a prosperous and fulfilling New Year, Samuel
