Ask HN: Career advice for software engineer at legacy med-tech manufacturer

Hey HN,

As the title says, I'm a SE at a mid-size med device contract manufacturer. It's cool to play a part in how info is collected/analyzed/managed. We have a strong mfg eng culture, but SE/data mgmt has not been a high priority until I arrived, which can make my job frustrating.

I've done cool projects with .Net stack that clct/org/anlyze data from the factory. I was alone for about two years and after much convincing, we recently hired a second SE.

Started on an agile team at a marketing tech co, then built dapps at crypto consultancy with Node/React/Solidity and did product dev, tech writing, architecture and engineering. It was cool, and I found that I love going through the full SDLC to build something interesting/valuable. Then I did some consulting and ended up in my current gig that way.

I love the idea of helping a legacy mfg co modernize their digital ops--especially a company that makes the stuff that we make. But, it is frustrating. I have a lot of reg documentation, long approval times, and training users how to use the software and getting their feedback... which isn't bad... everyone is nice and it's a change of pace from a typical environment where you rarely get to interact with your users.

At times, I find myself questioning if this is a good position for my career. I have an atypical background (been interested in econ for a while, did equity rsrch for a hedge fund in high school/freshman yr, left school after death in fam, did bootcamp instead of more college) but I love learning, and I read tech blogs, etc. every day. I stay in touch with the veteran SEs I've worked with in the past and for advice, but a lot of times I still question if I'm doing the right thing for myself, the company I'm at, and now the engineer we recently hired....

So HN: does anyone have experience working with/for a legacy manufacturer trying to improve their digital ops? Also, what advice might you have for my career path?

Cheers and thx.