Day in the life of
Lead Software Engineer – Aadam Duckett
My name is Aadam Duckett, yes, it is spelled “Aadam”. I am a lead software engineer at a small manufacturing company in northwest Ohio.
My Typical Day
7AM
A typical day (7 AM for me) at work starts with verifying that none of my services have gone down overnight or over the weekend. If any of them have gone down it is a sure sign of a stressful day, however, that rarely happens.
Once I ensure there are no immediate “fires” to put out, I check in with my team of developers. We discuss what each of us had done the previous day, what their plan is to achieve the current day, and anything that is currently standing in their way. Immediately after this, I will do everything in my power to help with any obstacles that came up.
Now that my team is ready to go and there are no active issues that require my attention, I will handle my clerical work as a leader. I approve timecards and time punches, I approve vacation requests, and I make sure that any new backlogs are entered into our project software.
9AM
Finally, once those items are completed (usually by 9 AM), it is time to develop some software, I will look at the current backlogs that are assigned to me, and determine if I have all the information needed to complete the request. If I do not have all the information, when there isn’t much information needed, I will send an email requesting the information. If there is a lot of information needed, I will schedule a meeting and include at least one of my developers with me so we can brainstorm after the meeting.
My backlogs have all required data, my team is well set up, there are no fires to put out, and the managerial tasks are done. Time to put on headphones and start typing! Just kidding, well, depending on the task. Any features that require a new interface will first get a wireframe sketch created, this wireframe will then get approved by the requester, and finally, I can start programming. Now, I will start by creating the interface, then I make sure that the database has what it needs, then I will work on backend code.
Throughout the workday
Throughout the workday small issues frequently come up that require my attention, the intranet site is not loading, our handheld scanners are running slowly, or data just won’t save when users are done entering it. When these issues come up, I will typically drop what I am doing, contact the user with the problem, and investigate the problem. Our company is small, so we do not have a specific team to handle issues. Once I figure out the issue I will document it, along with the solution. Doing this will usually make it so that other IT team members can take care of the issues in the future.
It is now time to go home, I pack up my laptop so it can come with me because you never know when an issue will come up. Usually, I get home, put my laptop bag on my desk, and don’t touch it again until the next day when I am heading to work. I would rather have it if I need it though instead of driving to the office for every issue.
I love what I do, I love programming and leading a team, but, like most jobs, it does have its pros and cons.
Pros
The main pro is that you are always, and I mean always, learning. You cannot stop learning, ever. This is a pro because it gives me the motivation to work on projects outside of work. Raspberry Pi projects, games, Android apps, and my newest project, a couponing website bestdealsandbundles.com.
Another pro is that the work isn’t too physically demanding, there is a lot of sitting or standing at my desk but not a lot of heavy lifting. There are many great networking options like developer conferences or small developer groups.
The last major pro that I have is it is fun, I think of every problem like a puzzle, or a game and I try to solve it, the feeling of solving a difficult problem is so nice.
Cons
Of course, there are cons, like learning all the time. I know, I know, I said learning all the time was a pro. What gives? Well, sometimes I feel a lot of pressure to learn new things because they are starting to be used widely in the industry, I don’t always have the time to learn each newly thriving technology and the pressure starts to weigh on me.
Other cons include having people ask you the same thing over and over again, friends and family thinking you are now their personal tech support, and the typical headaches that come from relying on technology to function.
Advice to aspiring Software Engineers
My best advice for somebody who would like to become a Software Engineer is this…
I suggest going to college, while I don’t agree with degree-based requirements for jobs, many companies require at least a four-year degree so having it will make it easier to get your foot in the door in the industry. Besides getting your degree, you have to decide what type of software you would like to make, this should help determine which programming language you would like to focus on learning. For example: if you would like to get into automation, you should learn Python, if you would like to make games, C++ is the way to go, if you would just like to make useful programs for companies like I do, learn either Java or C#. The software engineering industry is a wide spectrum with jobs to suit your taste, whatever it may be.
My last piece of advice is to be persistent and don’t give up when trying to find a job, getting that first industry job can take some time.
