Appetizers

Starting with some basics.

 Fun Starters

Getting to know the human side.

 Main Course

A quick deep dive into the day-to-day job.

Tell us about yourself and your job.

Hello! My name is Jasmine and as my job title suggests, I work on developing Android mobile apps at Disney. I find the work that I do exciting because the results and feedback are easy to see since mobile apps are consumer-facing and we can see the direct impact of our work. It has also been exciting seeing the impact of women in technology, and the growth of the community in general, and I am looking forward to seeing more voices be included in the future of our tech industry.

How did you end up in your field? What do you like about it?

My very first exposure to coding was probably through my dad since he was also a software engineer. However, I didn't get serious about learning until I took some introductory Computer Science courses at UCSD (it's never too late to start!). Most of my workday involves problem-solving, and even though it can get frustrating sometimes, I can see myself continuously growing - and it almost always works out in the end!

What does a typical morning look like on the job?

I usually start off my mornings by checking my emails and Slack messages. Usually, the emails that I need to respond to are asking me to review someone else's code, so I may do that right away or note that I have to take a look later. We also have daily standup meetings, which is a meeting where everyone on the team gives an update on what they are currently working on and if they need any assistance.

Cool, then what does a typical afternoon look like?

In the afternoon, I take a look at a list of tickets, which is how we track issues and tasks and choose one to work on for the day. Usually, a ticket will be a bug that needs to be fixed, an improvement that needs to be made, a new feature that needs to be implemented, or maybe even just a research task. If the ticket requires code changes, I will open the code on my laptop and make the changes. Once I'm finished, I push my changes to Github so that other members of my team can take a look at it before it gets merged into the actual app code.

What types of projects and meetings are you involved in?

Our team is usually divided into several levels. First, people may be split up based on which app they're working on. Within each app, the team may be split up based on different parts of the app that they are responsible for. Meetings are usually scheduled with the people you work closely with, and the more details that are needed to get work moving forward, the more meetings you will need to have. In general, though, software engineers just starting off will most likely have a light meeting load.

Who do you collaborate with within meetings and projects?

In terms of different job roles, we usually work with engineering managers, backend engineers, product managers, project managers, product designers, and quality assurance teams.

 Dessert

Now for some juicy insights in the tea room.

What's the most challenging thing about your job?

One con of having a consumer-facing product is that bugs and issues can have a real negative impact if they are not fixed in a reasonable time. There is always a lot of work to be done and is definitely fast-paced, and it is easy to fall behind since it is hard to estimate how difficult certain tasks may be.

What are some characteristics that can help someone succeed in your role?

Someone who likes creating things, is interested in constantly learning new technologies and skills, and enjoys problem-solving.

Any advice on how to stand out and get hired for those just starting off?

Software engineering is nice in that there are a lot of publicly available resources and tools, so even without an official job, you can work on personal projects to demonstrate your skills. There are also easily accessible ways to practice your problem-solving skills such as LeetCode, and other coding challenge websites.

What's something that surprised you about your job?

As someone starting a full-time software position out of college, I didn't realize how a lot of expectations are for you to learn things on the job. It's impossible for you to learn everything you need in college, and your teammates will trust that you have the capability to gain the skills needed as you go about your day-to-day duties.

Any last thoughts, advice, or recommendations for someone who wants to do what you do?

Going into Computer Science can be overwhelming because there are just so many technologies out there, but just know that everyone has their own subsets of expertise. Definitely take the time once in a while to look back on what you've learned so far, instead of always looking forward and worrying about what you haven't learned yet.

 Drinks

Chat more over coffee or tea?