A Day in the Life of a Software Engineer at Target
A typical day for a Target software engineer begins with a 9:00 AM meeting to discuss current projects and any roadblocks, followed by independent work on two-week sprint assignments; the role offers flexibility, including a hybrid work model, allowing for self-managed time and concluding with a daily check-in with management, "making sure… this is what I worked on… this is what you can look forward to next time."
Teamwork, Problem-Solving, Project Management, Communication, Coding
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Christian Vasquez Leon
Software Engineer
Target
University of California, Berkeley, 2020
N/A
Mathematics, Data Science, Statistics
Apparel, Beauty, Retail & Fashion, Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Scholarship Recipient, Immigrant, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. A typical workday for a Target software engineer involves daily meetings to discuss ongoing projects and address any roadblocks.
2. Engineers are given two-week assignments encompassing various tasks such as coding, documentation, and monitoring, fostering flexible time management and collaboration.
3. Target offers a hybrid work model, allowing for remote work flexibility while maintaining communication with managers and team members.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of a software engineer at Target look like?
A day in the life varies, but generally, an average day starts with a meeting with my manager, current engineers, and my team. We discuss what we're currently working on.
We also cover any blocked issues or if we need assistance from our business partners. This meeting happens every day at 9:00 AM. It's a nine-to-five job for the most part.
After the initial meetings, I sometimes have to meet with managers or other engineers. If I don't have any meetings, I spend the rest of the day working on my assigned tasks.
Every two weeks, my team gets assigned new features, bugs, or tasks. This could involve anything from coding a new feature to writing documentation or monitoring. These tasks are assigned to various engineers on our team.
The team might say, "Hey, I would like you to look into this feature. Can you complete it within two weeks? Can you write this documentation within these two weeks?" For the rest of the day, I have flexibility to work on those tasks, manage my own time, and collaborate with engineers if needed.
Since my role is hybrid, I don't often have to go to the office. I can work from home on my assigned tasks. Towards the end of the day, I wrap up.
Sometimes, I connect with my manager to review what I worked on, what I completed, and what to expect next. If I'm not on-call and have no more tasks to monitor, I'm usually off by 5:00 PM. That's pretty much it.