In my final submit, I shared how I went from veterinary surgeon to software program engineer by way of the magic of Makers Academy. After I wrote it, I used to be wrapping up my first six months in tech and about to maneuver right into a machine studying workforce. I’ve now been in my new function for a few months, and I’m completely loving it.
Earlier than making the change, I attempted to get a deal with on what the day-to-day would really appear like. I learn all the things I may and talked to anybody who’d hear, however I struggled to get a correct grasp of what the nitty-gritty of a software program engineering day would contain.
Partly, I believe, as a result of there’s no such factor as a ‘typical day’. It’s price stressing: one of many beauties of software program engineering is the unbelievable selection. You could possibly be doing front-end for a startup, back-end for a FinTech large, full-stack for an SME. You could possibly dive into machine studying, cybersecurity, robotics, and even nerd it out at a FAANG. The chances are genuinely limitless.
What follows is my very own expertise — a mix of various days all through my week, condensed into one hypothetical day. It’s not good or exhaustive, however hopefully it offers you an thought of what being a software program engineer is like for me.
Very first thing: verify Groups. It’s an effective way to let colleagues know you’re alive and effectively, share what you’ll be engaged on, and trade the occasional little bit of banter or music suggestion. Then compensate for emails and some other messages, checking my calendar for conferences (there are all the time conferences).
Then: dive into my present ticket. Proper now, that occurs to be altering how we journal recordsdata from a visualisation software in our climate forecasting pipeline. Clearly, this might range wildly relying in your function.
The morning stand-up comes subsequent. The Marmite of the agile world — I occur to adore it, however I do know a lot who don’t. It’s brief and sharp: “What did you’re employed on yesterday, what are you doing in the present day, any blockers?” For me, it’s a stunning probability to see colleagues and keep away from these dreaded merge conflicts.
In my present function, I work with machine studying engineers, information scientists, and the occasional climate guru. A lot of my time goes into bettering information pipelines — ensuring information flows appropriately by means of our methods so fashions and dashboards really work.
Often I get to pair program — that’s the place two builders work on the identical code collectively. It’s good for studying when it occurs, although it’s not as widespread as I’d like.
Context-switching is actual, by the way in which. I’ve realized to dam out centered time and set clear priorities. In any other case, I’d be leaping between duties all day and getting nowhere.
If I’m being brutally trustworthy, I hate dash planning. There, I stated it. It’s mandatory, I settle for, however I discover it boring. The PM and tech lead resolve what we’ll sort out over the following two weeks whereas the remainder of us attempt to keep engaged.
Backlog refinement is weirdly extra fulfilling. We undergo tickets in intricate element, defining what ‘finished’ really means and estimating time on the Fibonacci scale (1, 2, 3, 5, 8…). This was an eye-opener for me — time estimation is taken severely. Actually severely. I used to be genuinely shocked by how a lot time we dedicate to it, although I now see why.
Code critiques could be my favorite a part of the job. Studying colleagues’ pull requests is such an excellent studying software. My recommendation to anybody beginning out: get caught in, even if you happen to can’t add a lot at first. Simply apply studying different individuals’s code and attempting to know their decisions.
We’re actively inspired to spend time on structured studying too — programs, documentation, experimenting with new instruments. The tech panorama strikes quick, so this isn’t elective.
Finish of dash means dash evaluation (displaying what we’ve constructed) and retrospective (reflecting on how we labored). Opinions are effective — it’s satisfying to demo accomplished work. Retros vary from genuinely productive to barely gimmicky, relying on which ‘enjoyable’ software the PM has found that week. The fundamental questions stay: what went effectively, what didn’t, what ought to we alter?
Not day by day is glamorous. I spend a stunning period of time studying documentation, determining why one thing broke (often one thing I did), and writing documentation that I desperately hope another person will learn so I don’t have to elucidate it verbally.
We even have some genuinely enjoyable stuff:
- Random espresso — automated pairing for espresso chats. A few of my greatest conversations have come from this
- Weekly workforce conferences — all the things from nature walks to visitor audio system
- Communities of apply — data sharing throughout departments
- Lunchtime board video games — this simply makes me blissful
What I really like most is how dynamic and collaborative it’s. Every day brings one thing completely different, whether or not that’s wrestling with a difficult bug, pair programming, or lastly getting that pipeline to work correctly.
The tradition of steady studying means there’s all the time room to develop. And people morning stand-ups I discussed? They carry construction to what may in any other case be chaos.
Wanting again, I really feel extremely fortunate to have made this change at an age when many really feel trapped. Software program engineering has challenged me in methods I didn’t count on, and that’s precisely what I needed.
I’m nonetheless early in my journey, however I’ve already seen how a lot alternative there’s if you happen to’re prepared to adapt and continue learning. My function as a Basis Scientific Software program Engineer on the Met Workplace challenges me every day — in the very best manner.
Whether or not you’re contemplating a profession change or simply interested in life in tech, I hope this provides you a glimpse. And perhaps, simply perhaps, a cause to take the leap your self.
In case you have questions after studying this, please attain out — I’d love to listen to from you.
