What's your job about?
I am currently employed by DigIO, a software engineering consultancy company with career paths in mobile, platform engineering, front end, API development and business analyst/delivery roles.
My current role is focused on developing a set of API’s for a client. My daily tasks include working with a squad of developers (from both DigIO and the client) to complete small tasks (user stories) that add functionality and/or contribute to the build of the API’s.
A typical day includes attending team standups where daily tasks are debriefed for visibility, attending a technical standup where any blockers are discussed and /or concerns are raised, pair programming with others, or working individually to complete user stories assigned to me during the current sprint.
What's your background?
I grew up in a regional town in Far North Queensland and I moved to Brisbane to study engineering and computer science! I didn’t know what I wanted to major in for engineering, and I started out as a Chemical Engineering major, and then changed to Mechanical Engineering, before finally settling on Mechatronic Engineering (because it was a broader field that included software, electrical and mechanical courses).
Throughout high school and university I worked at Kmart, and I also tutored a few engineering courses at University. While studying I undertook two internships - the first at the Prince Charles Hospital which focused on biomedical engineering applications and research (utilising my mechanical engineering skills) and the second at Deloitte within the Technology, Strategy and Transformation team!
Upon graduating, I worked as an analyst at Deloitte for a year, before starting my position at DigIO as an associate software engineer (a role that I’ve been in for the last 12 months!). This role change came about as I wanted to focus on building my technical skills within a company that allowed for flexibility to explore interests in different software engineering career paths. As I am still undecided on where my technical interests lie, I enjoy being a part of DigIO as they provide the opportunity to explore different paths!
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes! University degrees often provide a really good foundation for understanding how software stacks and teams work in theory, but implementing this knowledge in the real world is oftentimes completely different and new to everyone— regardless of background and experience.
Characteristics and skills required to do my job would include critical thinking abilities and the ability to problem-solve independently. An open mind and a positive attitude toward learning and approaching challenges is also imperative!
What's the coolest thing about your job?
What I love most about my job is the challenge it provides. Errors occur daily, or troubleshooting and debugging are required to find where things have gone wrong. This provides a challenge of determining how things are working within a code base - and finding which behaviours are expected! Whilst sometimes this is frustrating, there is nothing more exciting than seeing code compile, and run error-free - and to see your hard work pay off when integration occurs!
What are the limitations of your job?
Limitations to my job include physical restrictions and bearing responsibility/ownership for your work.
Physically, being a software developer means being tied to your computer screen all day. This can be exhausting and can lead to restlessness if I need to be still for extended periods of time.
The other challenge is being solely responsible for the work you do. If a build breaks or if an error occurs, then you are responsible for solving the problem (which can be overwhelming or daunting when working for a client).
3 pieces of advice for your university-self?