Software Engineer
(Male, Age 26) from Menlo Park, CA
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Male aged 26 who works as a Software Engineer in Menlo Park, CA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Software Engineer |
|---|---|
| Salary | $100,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 45 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Menlo Park, CA |
| Years Experience | 14 months |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
Small (~350) enterprise software company
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
software development, design, and testing
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
health, dental, vision
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
well
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes. I believe that my job would not be possible without close collaboration with co-workers, and one of the best parts of my job is interacting and solving problems with other intelligent people.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 4
Benefits: 6
Hours: 7
Co-Workers: 3
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 2
The Actual Work: 1
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | |
| 8am to 9am | Arrive ~8:15. Read e-mails from previous night. Check status of automated software tests. Begin fixing defects in code indicated by failing tests. |
| 9am to 10am | Continue addressing test failures, monitoring the status of tests I’ve previously addressed as I work. |
| 10am to 11am | Company-wide meeting to discuss recent management changes. (No active participation on my part.) |
| 11am to 12pm | Company-wide meeting continues. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Lunch break. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Fix remaining defects so that no tests are failing unexpectedly. Push code changes made by my team to the central code repository so that they will be incorporated into the code base from which other teams are working. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Attempt to coordinate usability test (observation of user using prototype software) with a co-worker via e-mail. Begin implementing bug fixes and new features from my team’s backlog (list of issues we need to address), and writing tests to ensure quality of same. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Continue implementing bug fixes and new features. Answer support e-mails from co-workers and consultants as they arrive. Briefly discuss with teammate a fix that she is making. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Reschedule usability test for tomorrow, since aforementioned co-worker is not able to get a working build right now. Informal discussion of a new feature request from members of another team. Continue bug fixes and new features. |
| 5pm to 6pm | Continue bug fixes and new features, attempting to wrap up the one I’m working on before I leave. Leave ~5:50. |
| 6pm to 7pm | |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
referred by a head-hunter recruiting me for a different job
What was the application process?
submitted resume via e-mail
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes – one two-hour screening interview with CTO and VP of the company (one at a time), followed by one four-hour interview with four peers (one at a time).
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
several programming problems, experience review questions, general knowledge and attitude questions
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
I was more or less thrown head-first into the job, but I don’t believe that to be an unreasonable approach for the caliber of people my company hires.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
no
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Absolutely – my education provided me with the skills and foundations necessary to perform my daily work, as well as the ability to think critically about all aspects of my field.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
n/a
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Get a degree in a relevant field, and make sure your grasp of the fundamentals is solid.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Strong mathematical and computer science background, for obvious reasons. Ability to adapt quickly to new, unfamiliar challenges, since long ramp-up times can be a serious liability, and mistakes made early on can cause a lot of problems later.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
yes
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Make sure you take the time to do things the right way and ensure the quality of your work.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes – I am doing more or less exactly what I planned to be doing, and I am gaining skills and experience that will help me in the future
What are your current career goals?
I don’t have specific career goals beyond continuing to do what I am doing now, with increasing responsiblities
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Research Programmer | 2 years | 57k | Software development and design for research projects at a university |
| Prior Job 2 | Contractor | 15 months | 70/hr | Software development and design for a research project |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.85
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
4 | Carnegie Mellon University | B.S. Computer Science/Human-Computer Interaction |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
4 | CMU | Master of Human-Computer Interaction |
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