Lately, I’ve been thinking about this

Some honest thoughts about the future of The Optimist Engineer

Hi,

I want to share something a bit different today.

Over the past months, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about The Optimist Engineer. What it is, what it’s becoming, and what I want it to be in the future.

When I started writing, the goal was simple:

👉🏼 Share useful ideas and real-world lessons that could help other engineers grow.

And honestly, I didn’t expect it to resonate the way it has.

Some of your replies, messages, and conversations have made me realize that this is not just a newsletter anymore. It’s something people actually find useful in their day-to-day work.

And that’s where this thought started.

Lately, I’ve been wondering what it would look like to take this one step further.

I’ve also shared these thoughts with Angel Suarez, a friend of mine. Talking them through with someone I trust has helped me reflect more honestly on what this could become.

Not in terms of writing more.

But in terms of going deeper. Being more intentional. Sharing more of the thinking, the trade-offs, and the real decisions behind the work.

And with that idea, a question naturally appeared:

Would it make sense at some point to create a paid version of The Optimist Engineer?

To be honest, this is not an easy thought for me.

Part of it is practical.

I’ve never set up something like this before, and things like taxes, fiscal setup, and all the “non-writing” parts feel… unfamiliar and a bit intimidating.

And part of it is more personal.

There’s always that question in the back of my mind:

what if I build it… and no one is actually interested in paying for it?

I don’t have a clear answer to that yet.

What I do know is that I care a lot about keeping this space useful, honest, and worth your time.

So for now, I’m just exploring the idea. Thinking about what it could look like, and whether it would make sense at all.

I’ll share more thoughts on this soon.

Thanks for being here, and for reading The Optimist Engineer.

Marcos
The Optimist Engineer