4 answers
Diego
Student
Rochester, Minnesota
5
Questions
Updated
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What is your workplace like as a software engineer?
I go to P-TECH in 10th grade I was wondering how the workspace as a software engineer is like.
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4 answers
Derek Kraus
Workforce Planning BP
30
Answers
Beaverton, Oregon
Updated
Derek’s Answer
Hey Diego - Wow, it's truly impressive that you're part of P-Tech at such a tender age! It's fantastic to see you paving your career path so early. Being a software engineer is an ideal role that offers a great deal of flexibility. Take Nike, for instance, they provide fully remote software roles that allow you to work from any corner of the globe! Your future is bright and it really boils down to your preference - who you wish to work for and the kind of work-life balance you seek. The world is your oyster, Diego. I'd suggest you start by exploring companies that align with your ideal work environment, then concentrate on the kind of software engineers they're looking for.
Best wishes,
Derek
Best wishes,
Derek
Thank you, this is really helpful.
Diego
Eric Laney
Information Security Engineer
5
Answers
Tampa, Florida
Updated
Eric’s Answer
Hello Diego, I'm a seasoned software engineer at Verizon, having spent almost three decades immersed in this exciting field. Every company has its unique workplace environment, and even within the same organization, the work landscape evolves over time. However, some elements remain consistent across the board.
As a software engineer, you'll always have the fundamental tools: a workstation for coding, a communication channel with your team, a platform to publish your finished code, and a repository to store your code. The specifics might vary from team to team - in fact, within Verizon, I don't think there are two teams that operate identically - but these basics are a constant.
Software engineering has been a thrilling and challenging journey for me, and even after 30 years, my passion for it hasn't waned. One of the major aspects you'll encounter is the rapid pace of this field. As a software engineer, your focus should be on smoothly transitioning from one task to another: communicating effectively with your team about your current projects and hurdles; creating clear documentation, even if it's just a brief overview of your code's functionality and modifications, to help others understand your work without needing your direct input; and regularly updating your code into the version control system like Git or Subversion, ensuring nothing gets lost or needs to be reworked.
Another common aspect is the need for continuous learning. The world of software engineering is always advancing, introducing new methods of coding and software publishing. Therefore, it's crucial to maintain a curious and eager-to-learn mindset, always ready to explore, learn, and develop. I hope this insight proves helpful!
As a software engineer, you'll always have the fundamental tools: a workstation for coding, a communication channel with your team, a platform to publish your finished code, and a repository to store your code. The specifics might vary from team to team - in fact, within Verizon, I don't think there are two teams that operate identically - but these basics are a constant.
Software engineering has been a thrilling and challenging journey for me, and even after 30 years, my passion for it hasn't waned. One of the major aspects you'll encounter is the rapid pace of this field. As a software engineer, your focus should be on smoothly transitioning from one task to another: communicating effectively with your team about your current projects and hurdles; creating clear documentation, even if it's just a brief overview of your code's functionality and modifications, to help others understand your work without needing your direct input; and regularly updating your code into the version control system like Git or Subversion, ensuring nothing gets lost or needs to be reworked.
Another common aspect is the need for continuous learning. The world of software engineering is always advancing, introducing new methods of coding and software publishing. Therefore, it's crucial to maintain a curious and eager-to-learn mindset, always ready to explore, learn, and develop. I hope this insight proves helpful!
I am really grateful you took the time to answer this question.
Diego
Alec Swanson
Lead Software Engineer
5
Answers
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Alec’s Answer
Hi Diego,
I'm a Lead Software Engineer at New Relic, day to day for me is a combination of helping out other engineers on the team with whatever code they're working on and planning/thinking about the future of our code and how that fits into where the business is going.
For a newer engineer, your day will most likely consist of solo programming or programming directly with another engineer on the team, reviewing code produced by your team, and team meetings.
Software engineering is a fantastic field to get into, with lots of options because pretty much every industry needs some type of software to function. Focus on the thing you're building, not the code itself, and you will go far!
I'm a Lead Software Engineer at New Relic, day to day for me is a combination of helping out other engineers on the team with whatever code they're working on and planning/thinking about the future of our code and how that fits into where the business is going.
For a newer engineer, your day will most likely consist of solo programming or programming directly with another engineer on the team, reviewing code produced by your team, and team meetings.
Software engineering is a fantastic field to get into, with lots of options because pretty much every industry needs some type of software to function. Focus on the thing you're building, not the code itself, and you will go far!
Thanks for the help.
Diego
Vandana Tiwari
Software Engineer
3
Answers
San Jose, California
Updated
Vandana’s Answer
Hey Diego,
Being a software engineer is an incredibly rewarding career. Imagine, something you create can significantly enhance the lives of countless individuals, making their tasks simpler and saving them precious time and effort. It's an impressive feat, isn't it?
However, it's not all rainbows and sunshine. There's a tremendous amount of work and creative thinking that goes on behind the scenes. As a software engineer, you're not working in isolation. You're part of a team, brainstorming alongside other engineers and the product team to identify the problems that your customers face. Then, it's all about finding innovative solutions to these problems and transforming those solutions into functional design and code.
Collaboration is the heart of the engineering workspace. While there's no one-size-fits-all workspace, a typical day in the life of an engineer involves maintaining a healthy work-life balance and enjoying some downtime with colleagues. Whether it's team-building activities or casual lunches, these moments of fun are just as important as the work itself.
I hope this gives you a clearer picture of what to expect. Here's to you finding a fantastic workspace in the future!
Being a software engineer is an incredibly rewarding career. Imagine, something you create can significantly enhance the lives of countless individuals, making their tasks simpler and saving them precious time and effort. It's an impressive feat, isn't it?
However, it's not all rainbows and sunshine. There's a tremendous amount of work and creative thinking that goes on behind the scenes. As a software engineer, you're not working in isolation. You're part of a team, brainstorming alongside other engineers and the product team to identify the problems that your customers face. Then, it's all about finding innovative solutions to these problems and transforming those solutions into functional design and code.
Collaboration is the heart of the engineering workspace. While there's no one-size-fits-all workspace, a typical day in the life of an engineer involves maintaining a healthy work-life balance and enjoying some downtime with colleagues. Whether it's team-building activities or casual lunches, these moments of fun are just as important as the work itself.
I hope this gives you a clearer picture of what to expect. Here's to you finding a fantastic workspace in the future!