A Day in the Life – Matt
What is your title? Describe what you do.
Software Engineer – I mostly write code in the application development realm. Since I work with a team there is also software reviews to look over and meetings to be had in relation to planning, debugging, architecture choices, etc.
What drew you to CSCI? Why did you choose to work here?
Coming out of college I had a friend who worked at CSCI and said they were looking to hire more software developers. I interviewed and ended up getting the job.
What makes CSCI different than your previous workplaces?
Well, it’s not retail or a graduate assistant position so just about everything.
What do you like best about working at CSCI?
Working with my team is great. We have a good rapport, are open about issues if they arise, and more than willing to discuss topics thoroughly to arrive at the best solution.
What advice would you give to someone looking to pursue a role like yours? Are there specific character traits or skills/certifications you should possess?
Pay attention to the courses that seem “less important” than your core coding classes. Your code is your meat and potatoes yes, but writing concise and clear documentation, following a software development process properly, communicating with team members – those sorts of things are your bread and butter when it comes time to actually getting things done effectively.
What’s on your playlist when you’re focusing on a project at work and when you travel?
2020 was a weird year in a lot of ways – musically included for me. Hayley Williams’s Petals for Armor was played quite a bit, Oliver Tree’s Ugly is Beautiful was also on rotation quite frequently, but then King Crimson’s In The Court Of The Crimson King came out of left field and took over my work music for a while. I also had all kinds of pop, rock, and rap. Everything from Talking Heads to Jim Croce to Drake and the Weeknd. As well as some instrumental and OST kind of things. I was, and still am, all over the place musically.
What has helped you stay focused during this pandemic remote work situation? How have you adapted professionally?
I carved out a small niche of my apartment as the designated work corner. Which I think has helped force me into “Work Mode” and kept the rest of my space as close to a “work free” zone as it can be. I also made sure to still get up at the regular time as if I was leaving at the same time. The biggest change in my routine was being able to take a few more minutes to eat my breakfast before logging on to start work. I feel the maintained routine helped me smoothly transition to work from home. My project was mostly remote as it was so there wasn’t much transition in terms of the actual work itself to be done.
When things get closer to normal, what is the first thing you want to do that you cannot do right now?
I miss the flexibility in grocery shopping. I can’t just decide to whip up a random dessert or dish on a Saturday without feeling like I’m taking and placing others at an unnecessary risk. So I’ll probably spend the first few months post vaccine sweating over the oven trying all sorts of new recipes and scouring the area for ingredients that I don’t usually use (and thus have no clue where to acquire them).
How will this unprecedented time change your perspective?
I think it will mostly remind me how quickly things can change. I didn’t really go into this year thinking everything would get upheaved and shift in the way it did as fast as it did.