A Day In The Life Of A Senior Software Engineer At A Fortune 100 Technology Company
A senior software engineer's workday is a flexible mix of "meetings and getting stuff done," with a current office requirement of three days a week, allowing for a blend of in-office collaboration and remote work; much of the communication is asynchronous, utilizing Slack over email, and video calls connect geographically dispersed team members.
Communication, Problem-Solving, Teamwork, Technology, Work-Life Balance
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Alec Reitter
Senior Software Engineer
Fortune 100 Technology Company
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
none
Computer Science
Arts, Entertainment & Media, Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. A senior software engineer's day-to-day tasks involve a mix of meetings and focused work, with flexibility in terms of location and schedule.
2. The work environment is a blend of in-office (3 days a week) and remote work, allowing for a balance between collaboration and independent work.
3. Communication is primarily asynchronous, utilizing tools like Slack, with occasional video calls and in-person meetings to facilitate team collaboration across different time zones and locations.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of a senior software engineer look like?
I can't speak for everyone in every company, but day to day, within a fairly flexible setup, it's a collection of meetings and getting stuff done. That's a bit vague, but currently, post-COVID, we're required to be in the office three days a week.
Typically, those days are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Mondays and Fridays are flexible, so we can choose to work from home. Regardless of my location, I start by checking Slack for incoming messages and then my email.
Most of our communication happens on Slack. Email is mostly for documentation. I then jump back into whatever work I was doing. Meetings are also a significant part of the day. I try not to get too distracted by the internet, which can be challenging since my job requires constant computer and internet use.
Despite the challenges, I do my best to get my work done. The setup is quite flexible. Even on work-from-home days, I'm close enough to the office that I'll often go in before my 10 AM meeting. I might head home after lunch and work the rest of the day from there.
A lot of our communication is asynchronous, not necessarily face-to-face. We have very little physical in-person interaction, but we have many video calls. My team is spread across the west coast and the east coast.
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