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About

Hi 👋, I'm Fenil Dedhia, the voice behind In The Trenches and Datacraft.

I'm not the monk on the mountain, but in the trenches with you.

Who is In The Trenches for?

Tech professionals in software product companies, regardless of your role, seniority, company size, product org culture, or industry.

I've had a unique career so far: from working 2 years at wall street, spending 5 years in early-stage startups (seed to Series A), to working at large enterprises working on data infrastructure and AI-driven products.

Leveraging my 9+ years of experience building software products, I aim to empower both Individual Contributors (ICs) and product leaders navigating challenging work environments.

By bringing clarity and sharing learnings, I want to help you make informed decisions in your unique situations.

Why read In The Trenches

There's no shortage of high-quality resources on how the top 10% of companies or individuals operate. But what about the rest of us in less-than-ideal situations, trying to effectively apply what we learn from the best to our unique challenges?

There is nuance to the challenges and expectations most tech professionals face. These vary based on factors such as role and seniority, company size and culture, your leadership's competence and political style, and industry specifics.

Whether it's cultural shifts in how we build and sell products or the paradoxes of navigating a tech career (as both an IC and leader), I aim to illuminate the path forward.

I'm here to navigate these complexities with you. I am in the trenches with you.

Fresh, honest content – no fluff or AI-generated crap

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My Writing Philosophy for In The Trenches

  1. I write about topics where I have spicy takes, OR to fill knowledge gaps I've personally encountered. I create resources for my "X months ago self" as I navigate my own journey. When I search for specific information and come up empty-handed, that's my cue to create the resource I needed – not just for myself, but for all practitioners in my function/field.
  2. Writing crystallizes my thinking and accelerates my learning, making it an essential practice for my own growth – one I plan to continue and encourage others to embrace as well.
  3. Quality over Quantity.
  4. Knowledge-sharing takes priority over Brevity.
  5. Write about difficult topics (that everyone goes through, yet) nobody writes about.

Let's Connect

I would love to hear from you at fenil.h.dedhia@gmail.com, or on LinkedIn (don't forget to add a note)!