An Interview with a Software Engineer: Personal Impressions

Introduction

Before going into interviewing Adam Kiel, I had no idea what to expect. I do not have any background in what it is like to be a Software Engineer, except for what I have learned so far in the Software Engineering Freshman Seminar class I am taking now. I especially do not know what it is like to work as a software engineer daily. I am excited and nervous to find out and see if Software Engineering is something I really want to do for the rest of my life. I will go into the interview with a positive outlook, understanding that not every Software Engineer's work style is the same and varies based on the company. Within this report, I summarize the information gained through a formal interview with Adam Kiel on his profession as a Software Engineer.

Initial Impressions

Surprisingly, Adam Kiel was very willing to be interviewed about what it is like to be a Software Engineer and was rather eager to share his experiences. He responded to my questions quite quickly and concisely, as if he knew exactly how to answer each question and chose his words wisely. Adam said he works for Granular in Johnston, Iowa, just outside of Des Moines, a growing metropolitan area, where their engineering teams focus primarily on their agronomy product, Encirca, as well as customer success teams supporting all of their products. He has been there for a little over four months and lives just two blocks from where he works, which is very convenient.

Adam's Background and Experience

Adam described all the previous work he has done so far, and surprisingly, he has accomplished a lot for being 23 years old. He was a Student Developer for Iowa State University’s Book Store, where he worked on several websites to maintain the bookstore. Mostly, he worked on getting their pages compatible with their content management systems, as well as working on-site analytics for e-commerce and other technical needs. Then he went on to be a Software Engineering Intern for Herzog Technologies, where he was on a team that developed a data-gathering program now used by their Geographic Information Systems team. The desktop application he developed from scratch allowed the team to gather more accurate data. He coordinated with the team to create and build GPS and Camera integrations. It was also fascinating how, at a hackathon, he led a team in creating a Chrome extension, Rate ISU, similar to RateMyProfessor but for his college only, allowing students to view professors' ratings as they enroll in classes.

Current Role at Granular Inc.

Next, he moved on to his current job at Granular Inc. and his experience there so far. Granular Inc. is a software solutions company focused on precision agriculture. He is very passionate about his work, especially in how they are trying to make farming more efficient and profitable while still preserving and enhancing the value of farmland. Even though he is fairly new to the company, he knows the company’s goal and mission and recognizes how the work he is doing is helping others succeed. His enthusiasm for his role was evident as he talked about the company with fluidity and excitement.

After explaining to me what his company does, he went on to explain his part in the company and what he does there. He holds a position as a software developer and works mostly on the front-end design of their web application, as well as maintaining legacy systems. He is also helping with moving towards microservices in Python hosted on Lambdas, also known as map and filter in Python. They are focusing on building single-function modules with well-defined interfaces and operations. This approach will allow for more flexible and scalable application development, ideal for messaging-enabled, autonomously developed, and independently deployed systems. Currently, at Granular, all the infrastructure is held in Amazon Web Services (AWS), and they use CloudFront and Terraform to maintain it.

Team Dynamics and Current Projects

His project team typically consists of six to twelve people, but right now he has five developers, two Quality Assurance (QA) personnel, one delivery lead, one product lead, and one manager. Currently, he is working on moving their data processors from .NET 4.7.2 to .NET Core. In other words, they are using an app that utilizes third-party .NET libraries or NuGet packages not available for .NET Core. They are trying to switch to .NET Core for cross-platform compatibility, targeting microservices, using Docker containers, and needing high-performance and scalable systems. He is also working on building a company-wide feature that manages whenever something is flagged. This part is what he enjoys the most, as he is creating a flags app, and he has to learn Kubernetes, an open-source system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. Kubernetes organizes groups of containers that make up the application into logical units for easy management and discovery.

Technical Skills and Daily Routine

Some of the languages, technologies, and tools he uses include AWS, Runscope, Jenkins, GitLab, Python, JavaScript, Transport Stream, Java, C#, and Terraform. It is fascinating to see the variety of languages and technologies he uses, and how learning Python now can benefit me in the future.

A typical day for Adam involves going to work, checking his emails, and ensuring the systems are green. Then, he goes to get coffee or Monster, begins to program, stretches his legs, continues to program, has occasional meetings, then eats the company-provided lunch and snacks. After that, he continues to program and peer-program, and then heads home for the day. According to Adam, the skills most important for his job include problem-solving, efficient debugging, clear documentation and communication, and eagerness to contribute to his team and company.

Ethical Considerations and Job Satisfaction

Adam shared his opinions on what would be important for me to consider in pursuing a career in this field ethically. First and foremost, he advised ensuring that my code is well-documented and to give credit if I use someone else’s code. Also, he emphasized the importance of checking patents for any ideas I might have, as someone else may already have a patent for it. Lastly, he suggested taking the time to ensure that the logistics of a problem are being ethically solved. When asked what he likes most about his job, he mentioned his love for programming and that it's what he does all day. He also appreciates how his company takes care of him by providing lunch and snacks every day. However, Adam recognizes the downfalls of his job, such as the lack of onboarding for new employees to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become effective organizational members. He also dislikes the absence of a trial by fire for learning and improving apps, where they test the ability to perform well under pressure.

Conclusion

To conclude, after this interview, I realize that I have made the right choice by choosing Software Engineering as my major. Delving deeper into the role of a Software Engineer, I observed various aspects that come with different types of jobs. Adam’s previous work experience showcased the variation between jobs for Software Engineers, where they are constantly learning new things. It is very interesting how you can always learn more and stay updated with new programming updates to solve problems a company you work at may face, and efficiently do so.

I also recognized the downfalls between different jobs and companies and how some might not have a good way of transitioning new employees into their company. Before, I was worried that I might get bored with being a Software Engineer, but now I see how you get new projects to work on and learn different things, making every day different. After all, it seems as though most companies take care of their employees, as Adam gets lunch and snacks throughout the day and can take vacation days whenever, as long as it is not an excessive amount. Companies value Software Engineers as workers and treat them accordingly, which is commendable. This interview has helped me justify that I made the right choice in becoming a Software Engineer and resolved any worries I may have had beforehand.

References

[1] Granular Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.granular.ag

[2] Herzog Technologies Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.herzog.com

[3] Iowa State University Book Store. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.isubookstore.com

[4] Kubernetes. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://kubernetes.io

[5] Amazon Web Services (AWS). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://aws.amazon.com

[6] Terraform by HashiCorp. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.terraform.io