Biggest Challenges Faced By A Software Engineer At An Ad Agency
Tristan's biggest challenge as a software engineer is balancing "making sure that you're not being stuck in the code" with effective collaboration, a struggle many software engineers face. This necessitates continuous learning and adapting to either a more technical or people-focused career path, highlighting the dual demands of the profession.
Communication, Collaboration, Continuous Learning, Adaptability, Teamwork
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Tristan Hilbert
Software Engineer
Advertising Company
Major: Computer Science
Loyola Marymount University - Masters : Computer Science
Computer Science
Advertising, Communications & Marketing
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Effective collaboration and communication are crucial skills for software engineers, and it's a challenge many face.
2. Continuous learning is essential in this field, as technologies and best practices constantly evolve.
3. Software engineers can choose between technical (individual contributor) or managerial career paths, each presenting different challenges and skill requirements.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
I would say the biggest challenge is really collaboration, making sure that you're not stuck in the code. This was especially true in the lighter parts of my last job at Roge.
There were meetings where I was still cutting out like an unfinished task or trying to officially optimize one of the services that I was writing. It's better to be honest and upfront about shortcomings and what you have and haven't done.
That doesn't mean you have to answer every single question. Asking for scientists, you can pick and choose and choose nice times for silences to ensure you are efficiently and empathetically communicating. This is a hard skill that many software engineers struggle with.
There are two different routes within software engineering. There's the individual contributor, where you get really good at code and are always learning. Knowing that you always have to learn is probably another big challenge.
There are also management roles, where you get better at working with people. So, tackling one of those challenges, either management or learning and being able to work with people, which involves continually adapting your skillset, are probably the biggest challenges within software engineering.