“…so what does it take to get good?…”
At a Glance:
- Occupation: Senior Software Engineer (Web Application Development), at an award winning boutique
- Relevant Industries: Software Development, Programmer, Developer, Engineer, Programmer, IT, Information Technology, Computer Science, Web Developer, Web Applications Developer, Front End Developer, Back End Developer, Software Engineer, Software Developer, Creative Industry, Creatives, Designers, Graphic Designers, Project Management Software
- Experience: 14yrs +
- Studied:
- Bachelor of Science (Computer Science)
In Summary:
We welcome Pius to the show, who is a very successful senior software engineer. Many of you have been waiting for us to get into IT, and we are finally here! We delve into the world of Tech and we chat with Pius about things like:
- Some of the prestigious awards received for the software he’s currently working on.
- We decipher a lot of the cryptic terms often encountered in the world of Software Development.
- What it takes to be a good Software Engineer
- What programming languages are currently popular in the industry.
- And a whole lot more!
… so put your propeller caps on and get ready! Into the world of IT we shall climb….. Here we go into episode 9!
Podcast Content and Show Notes:
Please note that I have no affiliation with any products or companies which are referenced in the show notes / hyperlinks. They have been provided for reference purposes.
Also, timestamps may differ slightly by a few seconds.
| 00:04:20 | What is Pius’ job title and what is it that he actually does? |
| Senior Software Engineer | |
| Developing Web Applications | |
| Servers, Databases, Backend and Frontend infrastructure | |
| HTML, CSS, Javascript | |
| JIRA, Facebook | |
| 00:05:55 | ReCap of Web Applications |
| 00:06:02 | Layperson’s description of backend vs frontend. |
| 00:07:30 | Is Pius configuring the servers and databases himself? |
| 00:07:49 | Most people nowadays have their servers in the cloud. |
| 00:08:44 | The generic nature of being a Senior Software Engineer. |
| Those who like to get their hands their dirty with the backend side of things. | |
| 00:10:05 | Working in big companies vs small companies |
| 00:11:02 | Specialising vs Broadening skillset |
| Visual Basic | |
| Scripting | |
| Backups | |
| 00:12:30 | How many people in the company Pius is currently working at? |
| 00:13:08 | Pius called the company he works at a sort-of startup – what does he mean by that? |
| Legacy software | |
| Re-writing the application for the cloud | |
| Sprints | |
| 00:16:30 | The company that Pius works for is in which industry? |
| The Creative Industry | |
| Designers / Graphic Designers | |
| Advertisers | |
| Architects | |
| They provide Project Management Software | |
| 00:17:23 | How long did it take to convert from the legacy to the cloud version of the product? |
| Partnering with a prestigious design firm | |
| 00:18:05 | Won the AGDA award (received the Pinnacle Award) |
| 00:19:19 | Won a Silver in the New Zealand Best Awards |
| 00:19:27 | Finalist in the Webby Awards – The Oscars for anything on the internet |
| Finalists alongside Squarespace, Asana | |
| Kim Kaardishan wins an award for “breaking the internet” | |
| 00:20:23 | Winner of the D&AD Award (received the Pencil Award) – the most prestigious design award. |
| 00:21:12 | Are you aware of any other similar terms for “Senior Software Engineer”? |
| Web Developer | |
| Web Applications Developer | |
| Front End Developer | |
| Back End Developer | |
| Software Engineer | |
| Software Developer | |
| 00:21:40 | Do you do develop Mobile Apps, in addition to desktop web apps? |
| Pius has been at the company for over 6years | |
| Started developing responsive web applications | |
| Web App vs Native App | |
| Haven’t really looked into Native App development yet | |
| 00:24:04 | More about Native vs Non-Native Mobile Apps |
| Hiring external help vs In-House Development | |
| 00:26:29 | Becoming proficient in at least one programming language, sets a good foundation to learn others. |
| 00:28:09 | The importance of having confidence in the ability to pick up new things. |
| “The Abyss” while coding | |
| The one thing you need is perseverance (and self-belief) | |
| 00:30:56 | It’s all based on logic and divide and conquer |
| 00:31:35 | Seeing men cry while struggling with code. |
| 00:32:20 | What is meant by “languages” in a software development context? |
| 00:35:06 | What are examples of some popular programming languages? |
| Backend | |
| PHP | |
| Java | |
| Frontend | |
| Javascript | |
| Frameworks built into Javascript | |
| 00:36:09 | A couple of examples why PHP has gotten a bad “wrap” by some people. |
| Easy to use, so makes it easier to create bad code | |
| Note: “typing” here is not referring to the keyboarding typing, but is referring to data types. | |
| Please refer here for more information. | |
| 00:38:17 | PHP is an open source language |
| Older vs newer feature support | |
| Occasional bug when working at the expert level | |
| 00:38:56 | What does Pius like about PHP? |
| Can build things very quickly | |
| Loose vs rigid styles of coders | |
| Finding the right solution and having an open mind. | |
| 00:40:12 | What are a couple of things Pius likes and dislikes about Java? |
| Used to be known as a clunky piece of software | |
| High use of libraries | |
| High memory usage | |
| This may have all changed recently since Pius hasn’t used Java for about 6 years | |
| One problem that’s still standing: | |
| Heavy dependency on the versions of the code (libraries) that has been borrowed (imported) | |
| The difficulties in dealing with multiple versions of multiple imported code libraries | |
| Java is configuration heavy | |
| Pius admits he’s not an expert at Java, and the problems he mentioned may be due to lack of experience. | |
| It’s very easy to find more info about the pros and cons of Java via Google | |
| 00:43:48 | What did Pius mean by saying that Javascript was the main front-end language? |
| It’s the only scripting language that the browser will understand (as far as he knows) | |
| 00:44:13 | The 3 constituents of a web page/app: |
| Display and Layout | |
| HTML: the language which defines the layout of the page | |
| CSS: to make it look more “pretty” (colour, size, position) | |
| Dynamic/interaction | |
| Javascript | |
| 00:46:00 | Is there any relationship between Java and Javascript? |
| Javascript also has no typing | |
| 00:47:27 | What are some other languages which are actively being used in the industry? |
| Ruby (the language), Ruby on Rails (the framework) | |
| Used a lot in Silicon Valley | |
| 00:48:58 | Any other languages of interest? |
| Python | |
| Used a lot in the AI space | |
| C | |
| C# | |
| ASP | |
| .net | |
| Visual Basic | |
| 00:49:51 | The benefits of the IDE (Integrated Development Environment) of .net (Pius mean to say Integrated instead of Enterprise ^^) |
| 00:50:35 | What does Pius mean by saying “.net is like the anti-Java?” |
| Apparently .net is potentially a lot easier to use | |
| 00:51:08 | Why do kids often get started in programming with Visual Basic? |
| Very low barrier of entry | |
| Some schools taught it | |
| Software Design and Development course | |
| Sense of reward from building software | |
| 00:53:06 | Software Design and Development as a course for the HSC (now called ATAR) – university entrance exams |
| Analagous to the SATs in the US | |
| 00:54:02 | .net replaced Visual Basic |
| 00:54:43 | The passion of Developers |