Hello, I’m Greg Saverchenko and I live and play in Longview, Washington.
Professionally, I spend most of my time consulting as a software engineer and learning new technologies primarily using SQL, .NET, Vue.js, and their related frameworks.
My story: Over 10 years, I changed jobs roughly every two years, eventually reaching what I believed to be the pinnacle of my career as a lead programmer. However, I became burnt out and decided to take a break from programming. My boss attempted to retain me with a higher-than-necessary six-figure salary and the freedom to work on any team or project within the company. Yet, my conscience did not let me take a paycheck as a deadbeat programmer so I declined the offer. After a short sabbatical, I returned to the field as a Software Consultant. As you may expect, I will say this has been the most rewarding decision of my career, even though it comes with added variables and stress as a business owner. I could finally eliminate all the factors that I blamed for my shortcomings and work on me. Success or failure was no longer tied to corporate bureaucracy or system flaws; now I was the system and the annual review was attached to my client satisfaction.
Shortly after leaving my last job, I recall a meeting with a former colleague where I mentioned that I had been learning WordPress because a client required it. Instead of curiosity, I received apathy in response. After all, we are developers and we do smart things like write complex code systems. This reaction concerned me for a while, as I didn’t want to be seen as a wasted talent. Taking a step back, I realized that I had worked on numerous complex projects throughout my career, many of which never saw the light of day despite a year’s worth of effort. Some were over-engineered, designed to impress peers and be involved in the ever-shifting tech industry. If a major tech company introduced a new way to handle the message queue, we felt compelled to rebuild our codebase to stay on the cutting edge. It’s akin to the saying, “When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” This tendency to overcomplicate extended beyond our tools to our careers. Were we treating our Software degrees as hammers? As a consultant, my focus shifted from simply writing code to addressing the business’s pain points. Sometimes, a basic spreadsheet suffices, while at other times, a complete development stack is necessary. Developing every website or tool using Vue or React might be fun, but the key is to address the client’s pain point. If a business with 5 to 20 employees wants self-management with an initial design, WordPress or Wix could be a better choice than Vue or React. My approach is driven by the need to understand what the client wants, why they want it, and why they are willing to pay me for it. I’m not the cheapest option, which is why I ask the third question.
I’ve taken on relatively simple projects with daily or monthly maintenance, even though in-house teams could handle them. Nevertheless, clients prefer to hire me because I bring a visionary perspective and an understanding of their long-term goals, allowing them to focus on other aspects of their business. One client even told me, “This is your thing now.” As my business expands, I see myself moving away from implementation and focusing more on strategy. There are numerous developers out there, including those skilled in WordPress. I suggest that, when a new project emerges, we first understand the problem and then determine the solution that aligns with the business’s needs.
Personally, I enjoy spending my time with family, leading worship at my church, reading books on subjects I’m not familiar with, and working on something outdoors. I’ve been performing at small and large venues for the past 20 years and have picked up a bit of sound tech. Shoot me a message if you need a suggestion on live mixing!
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