5 things I learned as a software engineer at Gorrion

I’ve started working as a programmer while studying Biomedical Engineering. I had a few programming lectures and wrote a few tiny apps before my internship. That’s it. Then, I got into the internship at Gorrion, which turned into my job.

And during these years, I was a part of different projects and wrote apps relating to many fields in various languages and frameworks. Through facing many challenges, I’ve not only developed my programming skills but also my soft skills. And I can say that surely I’ve made huge progress during these years, so let me give you some tips on software development.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions…

In the beginning, everything was new to me. I was a bit scared of the number of things I didn’t know. It was definitely overwhelming. But month by month, I had fewer and fewer questions, and I was more independent, and I felt more confident in my skills. I gained experience. And it only needed one factor to make that happen – time.

…but do a quick research before asking

Independence is really appreciated in this field. That’s why I always try to do things on my own in the first place. Because of that, I can learn even more and develop a few proven methods to find a solution. 

Research (or brainstorm) first

Before starting a project or a task – always do research. It’s not hard to dive into code and waste hours without coming closer to the right solution. Believe me; I know that.

So, try to understand the problem. Maybe one of your colleagues did a similar thing, or there’s a solution somewhere on the Internet or a framework that will do everything for you. 

A brainstorming session also is a great way to figure out the problem. Sometimes only a few minutes spent breaking down a task into parts can significantly reduce your work time. It also ensures that valuable functionalities are returned to the customer.

Think of what may go wrong – write your code with a minimal (set for the task/project) test coverage. It will help you not to push the muck into production, but more importantly – you will not be frightened of extending the project.

Communication and teamwork

Remember that you work in a team so you can rely on others. You’re all responsible for the project. So you can share your doubts or boast about something cool you did. Because, as a team, you fix the problems together and celebrate together.

Another great thing about a team is that everyone can have their own strengths, and you can use them to help each other. 

Figure out the best way to organize your work 

Try to think about how you like to work; what’s good and bad about the current way of work. Maybe you should mute messages from your teammates and stop scrolling social media during your work break (because is it really a break?). During your work, you require 100% focus.

So eliminate distractions and start working in time blocks in which you’re only focused on work – it may really make a difference. A handy method to be more efficient is Pomodoro Technique, which proposes focused work sessions. 

Another productivity tip: spend breaks away from the computer to practice soft skills by talking to your colleagues. Also, estimate your tasks so you can be confident that you will have the time to deliver all functionalities you are planning to do. 

No one likes working in a hurry. While estimating, we can see a better, quicker solution for the problem or that we missed something. Plus, a new pair of eyes always helps (again, teamwork). Also, prioritizing tasks is a life-changer – thanks to that, you focus only on one task at a time.

Don’t be afraid of challenges

Developing a new thing always seems hard at first. But by breaking down the functionality into pieces, you can find out what you really must do. 

And what’s cool about our work is that we are constantly developing ourselves! Using new frameworks can be extremely helpful. (Sometimes forgetting about frameworks we’re used to is a good thing.)

Conclusion

As you can see, soft skills are really important in the IT world. Understanding a problem is key to efficient work. And team, well, a great team is worth fighting all the battles in the projects. The feeling of belonging to a team has taken our work to a new level. 

My last piece of advice? Reflect, talk to people, and start coding. 

And if you aren’t afraid of new challenges, check out our career section. Maybe there’s a position just for you?