ABOUT

So what do you actually do?

I help to build and maintain risk management / advisory applications for an insurance company.

What has your career path been?

As far as Software Developers go, quite traditional. I graduated in Computer Science (2019) and then started my current job straight afterwards.

Whilst studying I worked in a bunch of industries doing different jobs in and out of tech from working in a theatre to doing IT support.

What is the best part of your job?

How creative and expressive you can be when solving problems.

From the outside it’s easy to imagine that all you do is sit and write endless lines of code.

However, being a dev is primarily about problem solving and coming up with creative solutions to resolve those problems.

Why do you do your job?

From as long as I can remember I’ve been in awe of what can be achieved with tech and I love learning new technologies.

So for me being in an environment where I can learn and contribute to real projects is a big driver for why I love being a dev.

One piece of advice for someone starting in your role?

Never ever overlook non-technical skills. You could be the most technically gifted programmer in the world but if you can’t work in a team or communicate it’ll be a struggle to be effective.

Check out Myles’ Instagram below!

DAY IN THE LIFE

*COVID times just mean that this is all done from home…

9:00: Read / reply to any emails or messages from the night before and potentially review some of my colleagues work.

9:30: First meeting is with the other devs on the project as a quick informal catch-up to talk through what each dev is working on and to see if anyone is struggling etc.

10:00: Straight after the first meeting is the daily stand-up meeting with the wider project team. This would include all the main functions of the project (Developers, Quality Assurance testers, Business analyst and project manager) and this is usually the most important meeting of the day as everyone in the project gives their updates.

10:30: Plan and start your task. This’ll usually begin by investigating what needs to be done and setting out a plan on what you need to tackle and how to get it done.

12:45: Lunch - I always try to leave my desk and get some fresh air.

13:45: Continue working on your task; usually this would be writing code but tasks can range from writing code to creating documentation or researching a new technology.

16:00: Every few days you usually meet with the UX designer, lead developer or product owner - depending on what you’re working on. This meeting would be somewhat of a demo to show the progress of your task for some early feedback.

17:00 Towards the end of the day I usually note down what I’m yet to finish and submit any work that I have.

This is a very general overview. Like most jobs you have good days and you have bad days.

On a good day I fly through my task(s).

On other days you spend 3 days working on a bug that you can’t seem to wrap your head around - both these scenarios are totally normal haha.