Is writing code your dream job? As an application developer, solving problems with code will play a major part of your role.
There are so many technical jobs on offer these days and many of them involve some element of coding or software development.
But you can never be sure what a typical day in a particular role will really look like until you’re in it.
However, with the help of employees who are already in certain positions, a snapshot can lend some insight.
Lewis Reynolds is an application developer in Voxpro and he helped us pull back the curtain on what a day in the life looks like for someone in his position.
What is your role within Voxpro?
Application developer (planning and analytics).
If there is such a thing, can you describe a typical day in the job?
As an application developer, a typical day for me would be writing lots of code.
What types of project do you work on?
I work on several short- and long-term projects, which add value to the planning and analytics space.
They are all developmental in nature, running through from design thinking, development, deployment and maintenance.
The projects’ focuses are on efficiency or enhancement of work processes and performance. This could include a new application or connection mapping and integration, depending on the best-fit solution.
What skills do you use on a daily basis?
As a developer, there are several skills required to deliver on expected requirements. These include: communication, projection management, design thinking, problem solving, programmatic thinking, self-motivation, planning, system architecting and coding.
What is the hardest part of your working day?
The hardest part of my day would be task management. I tend to gravitate towards tasks that interest me most before tackling priorities. I manage this tendency through planning.
Do you have any productivity tips that help you through the working day?
Goal setting, based on planned action items. Pre-planning to ensure an understanding of those actionable tasks.
When you first started this job, what were you most surprised to learn was important in the role?
Adaptability. To be flexible in how a solution is designed depending on your stakeholder’s traits – achieving positive buy-in differs vastly on this factor.
How has this role changed as this sector has grown and evolved?
As the sector developed, we have evolved in our approach to planning and technologies used within Voxpro.
In the past, our approach lacked a formal approach, leading to an unstructured technology landscape, which is expected with a department still in its forming stage. The department has moved through its own stages of development and, with it, our approach in tackling problems and delivering on expectations has changed, aligning with overarching company technologies and standards.
This hasn’t hindered innovation as one might expect; it has, however, allowed the solution architecture to scale within the business more effectively, with less maintenance once in production.
What do you enjoy most about the job?
I enjoy tackling a challenging coding problem within the development stages of an application and delivering an effective solution. There is nothing more enjoyable than writing a block of code that delivers on a requirement as expected in the most efficient way.
Want to work at Voxpro? Check out the Voxpro Careers page for current vacancies.
