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Good engineers solve problems, great engineers own them –

April 30, 2025
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With every new generation of impeccable talent entering the workforce, the priorities of what moves high-performing engineers need to be adapted.

Ramkumar Venkatesan


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100 Industry Professionals


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100 Industry Professionals

< />This year marks my 27 years of being in the tech ecosystem. But like every engineer, I still remember the first time I wrote a programme, back in my college days.<br /><br />We spent hours debugging, staring at a screen, adjusting lines of code until, finally, it worked. It wasn’t flashy, but that thrill of making something work through persistence has stayed with me. And even after decades in this field, it’s still what drives me today.<br /><br /><!– PROMOSLOT_M –>Over the years, technology has evolved dramatically. From the rise of the internet and mobile to the shift to cloud computing and the adoption of SaaS, each wave has reshaped how we build, scale, and deliver value. And now, with AI, we are witnessing another leap forward.<br /><br /><div class=” article-detail-ad-slot=”” captionrendered=”1″ data-src=”https://etimg.etb2bimg.com/photo/120664980.cms” height=”442″ loading=”eager” src=”https://img.etb2bimg.com/files/cp/upload-1716883386-ethr-default.webp” width=”590″></img></p> </div> <p>Interestingly, with every new generation of impeccable talent entering the workforce, the priorities of what moves high-performing engineers need to be adapted.</p> <p>However, there is one thing that hasn’t changed – it is the curiosity and the drive to solve problems that fuel engineers. This desire to build better solutions, optimise, improve efficiency, and reliability is what brought many of us into this field, and it is what keeps us here.</p> <p>Solving problems is still at the heart of engineering, but today, engineers want more than just challenging work—they want meaning and impact. A recent Deloitte survey found that 86% of Gen Z and 89% of millennials consider having a sense of purpose essential to their job satisfaction and overall wellbeing.</p> <p>In the last two decades, I have seen first-hand how empowering engineers with ownership drives both innovation and satisfaction. The most creative solutions are often the results of engineers who have the autonomy to try something new, test an idea, and push the limits of what is possible. And that accountability drives better solutions and a stronger connection to the work itself.</p> <p>While ownership lays the ground for a strong formation, growth is what sustains long-term impact. Given the ever-evolving nature of technology, staying in the field demands constant learning. According to a recent survey by PWC, 62% of Indian employees believe the skills required to do their jobs will change significantly over the next five years.</p> <p>Beyond mastering new frameworks or tools, engineering excellence today involves understanding why systems are built a certain way and how decisions affect scalability, efficiency, and user experience, among other things. And the upskilling needed for this happens through hands-on experience, mentorship, exposure to different domains, and the ability to challenge existing approaches.</p> <p>This is why the most forward-thinking organisations ingrain learning into the daily workflow. When engineers focus on learning in this way, it expands their thinking, making their contributions become more valuable, not just to the technology they build, but to the business and users they serve.</p> <p>And thinking beyond code is where real collaboration happens too. This is true more so in an industry like tech where the best solutions don’t emerge in isolation.</p> <p>Often features go from just good to game-changing because engineers sit down with other teams and rethink the problem together from multiple angles. A culture of collaboration is instrumental in nurturing engineering talent because it encourages knowledge sharing and fosters a supportive environment where teams grow by learning from each other.</p> <p>For me and my team at Cashfree Payments, weekly idea reviews have been instrumental in refining concepts into real solutions while keeping track of progress and impact. At the same time, removing layers between engineering and customers through our merchant community forum has been a game-changer—giving engineering direct visibility into real-world needs, accelerating decision-making, and enhancing clarity.</p> <p>And what’s particularly exciting about engineering today is how the role has evolved beyond traditional boundaries, becoming industry-agnostic and enabling engineers to work dynamically across markets while staying connected to business and customer needs. Throughout my journey, I have seen that when engineers truly resonate with what they create, the results are incredible, not just for the technology we build but also for the people behind it. And at the heart of this is the simple truth that great engineering cultures are not built overnight; it is the result of intentional culture-building through continued investment in people.</p> <p><em>DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and does not necessarily subscribe to it. will not be responsible for any damage caused to any person or organisation directly or indirectly.</em></p> <div> <div aria-label=

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