// Outcome: The AI-Accelerated CTO

After compiling the Go binary for Linux, I dropped it onto the EC2 server and started it as a background service.

The real magic happened when I intentionally disconnected the service to simulate a server crash. When I brought it back online, it smoothly read the binlog position, realized it had missed a few events, and automatically backfilled the SQS queue. Fault tolerance achieved, automatically.

I packaged the SQS access credentials and handed them over to Jason, the external Python developer handling the MYOB side. All he had to do now was listen to a reliable, clean queue of events. The polling nightmare was over.

As I sat there sipping my tea that evening, I couldn't help but reflect on the surreal nature of the experience.

In the past, architecting a CDC pipeline, setting up message queues, writing a custom Go agent, handling SSH tunnels, and deploying fault-tolerant services would have been a multi-day, highly stressful undertaking.

Tonight, collaborating seamlessly with an AI, it was completed in a single evening, over a cup of tea. The fundamental mechanics of IT consulting haven't just evolved; they have been completely transformed.