The Pochemuchka Advantage: How Being an Insatiable Question-Asker Makes Me a Startup Border Collie

(Or: Why "But Why??" Is My Superpower in Tech)

1. What Even Is a Pochemuchka?

A pochemuchka (почемучка) is Russian for a person who constantly asks "Pochemu?" ("Why?")—the kid who interrogates every rule, the adult who needs to understand the why behind every decision.

In English? We'd call it "being exhausting."
In startup culture? It's a secret weapon.

2. Neurospicy & Relentlessly Curious

This isn't just a personality quirk—it's a neurodiverse trait (hi, ADHD/AuDHD friends!) that means:

• ✅ Pattern recognition on steroids
• ✅ Zero tolerance for "because we've always done it this way"
• ✅ Ability to sprint through chaos like a border collie herding geese

Downside? Normal people find me annoying.
Upside? I can predict project disasters before they happen because I questioned the shaky logic three sprints ago.

3. Why Startups Love/Hate Me

Love:

• I spot unspoken assumptions like a bloodhound.
• I refuse to let vague requirements slide. ("What exactly does 'user-friendly' mean here?")
• I herd stakeholders toward clarity like my brain depends on it (it does).

Hate:

• I ask "Why?" one too many times in roadmap meetings.
• I reject hand-wavy answers (RIP, corporate buzzwords).
• I cannot let a logical inconsistency go unchallenged.

Result? Projects move faster because I won't let them move forward broken.

4. Border Collie Energy in Sprints

Ever seen a border collie work? Hyperfocus, precision, relentless drive. That's me in Agile:

• 🐕 Spotting gaps in the backlog like they're stray sheep
• 🐕 Driving stand-ups with laser-guided questions
• 🐕 Herding distracted devs back to the ticket like, "But what about the acceptance criteria??"

Is it intense? Yes.
Does it work? Also yes.

5. How to Harness Your Own Pochemuchka Power

If you're also that person who asks too many questions:

• 🔹 Reframe "annoying" as "risk mitigation."
• 🔹 Use your curiosity to pre-solve problems.
• 🔹 Find teams that value clarity over compliance.

And if people complain? "Sorry, my brain is optimized for preventing dumpster fires. Carry on."

Final Thought

To fellow pochemuchkas: Your questions are valuable.
To those who find us exhausting: We're saving you time. You're welcome.