The Mistake Every Developer Makes (And No One Talks About)

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If you're a developer, I'm 99% sure you've fallen into this trap. In fact, you don't even have to be a senior or junior dev – just someone who writes code. No, I'm not talking about forgetting a semicolon in JavaScript or trying to run docker-compose up without Docker installed (who hasn’t?).

I'm talking about overcomplicating everything.

The Problem: The "It Could Be Better" Curse

Have you ever had that brilliant idea to refactor some code? Something that would turn a 200-line monster into a 20-line masterpiece? You get excited, start working on it, and suddenly…

Your code now uses three design patterns you saw on YouTube.
Your PR has more comments than lines of code.
No one (not even you) understands what was done.
The bug you wanted to fix is still there.

Welcome to overengineering – a problem developers love to create for themselves.

Why Do We Do This?

Because we want to be "good devs".
- Who hasn't tried to prove they're an amazing programmer by shoving in a Factory Pattern where a simple if would do?
Because we just learned something new and want to apply it.
- "I just learned about CQRS, let me use it to separate handlers in a login form!" (don't do this)
Because we hate ugly code.
- Sometimes, "ugly" code just works. And that's okay.
Because we fear "too simple" code.
- We think simple code means "inexperienced" code, when in reality, simplicity is a sign of maturity.

How to Avoid This Trap

Write first, refactor later. Want to clean up the code? Great! But first, solve the problem.
Ask: does this really improve anything? If the answer is "because it looks nicer" rather than "because it solves a real problem," it might not be worth it.
Remember KISS and YAGNI. Keep it simple and don't implement things you don't need.
Seek feedback. Before diving into a major refactor, ask for opinions. A colleague might save you from going down a rabbit hole.
Document your decisions. If you really need a complex solution, explain why. Code without context becomes a nightmare.

Conclusion

Next time you find yourself refactoring a basic CRUD with Event Sourcing and Microservices, do yourself a favor: stop and breathe. Ask if you're overcomplicating things.

If the answer is "yes," take a step back. If it's "no," document and justify why the decision truly makes sense.

And if you still want to go ahead… don’t say I didn’t warn you. 😉