For National Coding Week in the UK, we asked members of our global team some questions that we think give a great insight into what really excites them and what they are looking to achieve.
This time we spoke to two members of the Software Development team – Robbie Aftab, who is a Senior Software Developer and George Thorp who is a Junior Software Developer.
What got you interested in coding?
Robbie
Since a young age I’ve been interested in PCs and started writing my own websites around 15 years old, I helped my friends with their MySpace styling!
George
When looking at software and games I was amazed at how it was made and wanted to see if I could do it myself. I started making a few simple websites and it was amazing to see every slight change I made reflected in the website and get feedback from family members.
Can you tell me what your greatest achievement is?
Robbie
Getting my First Class degree.
George
I started my CS degree, and in turn my development career later than most, but managed to get into a junior software development role before I finished my degree, through a mixture of hard work, going above and beyond on support projects consistently.
What is something you love about working at IMS?
Robbie
The autonomy. My manager trusts me to complete the work that is set to me. I feel I can define my technical direction and how I want to solve the problem at hand.
George
I find the work we do around telematics and journeys to be very interesting. Being able to use such precise location data (as well as many other metrics) every day to build high quality software around really is something I love doing.
The senior/lead developers I have worked with at IMS have been a huge plus point of working here, always open to help and advice and extremely knowledgeable and reliable – even whilst working from home where I imagined it would be harder to have those little chats to go over some code.
Also, IMS during COVID was especially an exceptional place to work, the extra effort put in by HR, Facilities, and others to ensure people were safe as well as cared for whilst out of the office was incredible. The WFH transition we have gone through has been as smooth as I could imagine and I am thankful for the openness and honesty given by the directors throughout the pandemic with regards to the company and the future.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is looking to start their career in coding?
Robbie
Don’t stick to one language, learn something like C#, python Java or C++ and from there once you’ve got the fundamentals it’s very easy to switch, but by boxing your self as a “Java developer” (for example) you restrict your potential opportunity
George
Don’t be afraid to say ‘I don’t know how to do this’ and ask for help, but don’t let others just do the work for you if you do not fully understand the solution!
What is one of the most important qualities you think a person should have when looking to start their career in coding?
Robbie
An open mind – writing code is the easy bit, interacting with your peers to understand their wants and needs and how you can be more effective is the hard bit, especially when you disagree!
George
Have the ability to fail and learn from it each time – nobody can write perfect code every time, and it is only through these failures we learn or find new bugs to make the final product perfect.
