Each day, everyone at Springworks comes into work with a true passion for building products and tools to simplify the lives of hiring and recruiting managers. We are artists, innovators, achievers, and dreamers, with a one-track mind to fine-tune the products that we build on the blockchain, achieving precision. We showcase our team members, their roles, and what a typical day looks like for them through this series of posts. You can check all the posts here
Sebi Sheldin Sebastian joined Springworks in March, 2017. Prior to Springworks, he has worked for a couple of startups and handled all of their Android-related requirements.
He has worked on everything from solo projects to small collaborative group efforts to projects with hundreds of contributors. “With each project, I’ve learned something new”, he says.
Working on open source projects allows him to get back to what he loves best – writing code. This way he is able to experiment with new technologies, learn new techniques and languages—and keep up with the cool kids!
Here’s the interview with this code-lover.
Tell me a little about your job role and what you do on a day-to-day basis.
I started here as a Junior Android Developer and now collaborate with cross-functional teams to define, design, and ship new features.
I have designed and built advanced applications on the Android platform for Springworks’ clients such as Burst Oral Care and worked across various technologies like Java, Flutter, Node.js, Kotlin, and Swift.
I also work on bug fixing and improving application performance and continuously discover, evaluate and implement new technologies to maximize development efficiency.
Thus, my day-to-day job consists of working with new technologies and architectures at Springworks.
What else should one add to their skillset to become a good Application developer?
You should consider learning more programming languages. You need to keep yourself updated with what’s new in the industry rather than confining your thinking to just the Android space.
This will open up your perspective, inspire new ideas and help you improve your Android development skills significantly. Make up your mind to learn one new programming language every year.
However, you should do this when you think you’ve had a good experience working with Android. I work with various technologies now, but it took me years to specialize in one platform. Only then did I consider learning new languages.
So my mantra is to become good at one thing by practicing it for years and then learn other things.
What do you like best about your job?
I’ve loved coding and open-source technologies since my teenage years and I knew that I wanted to be able to build mobile applications one day.
I spent time learning Java all these years, so the best part is that I picked up my hobby, pursued it as a career and now I am making money out of it. Therefore, I don’t find my job as a chore and always try to put in my best at every task I do.
What do you like least about your job?
When the customer is really giving you a hard time, and you have a complicated breakdown.
Every professional wants to see only positive reviews and comments about their work. The truth is that we don’t live in a perfect world, and you will get negative customer feedback, however hard you try to please your customer. There’s no way around it- bad reviews happen.
However, the best way to receive negative feedback is to listen and actually hear what’s being said.
By putting myself in the shoes of a customer to get the context helps me do my job. This is my way to deal with the situation.
Are there any challenges in your job? If so, how do you handle them?
There are several paths to reach a solution, but the biggest challenge is to find a solution that is functional, easy to understand and yet efficient.
We all tend to make mistakes, so the solution is trial and error. Moreover, experience also counts. When you’ve worked in a specific role for years, you tend to become better at it because you know what mistakes you’ve made and how you’ve worked out to correct them.
What do you think the climate is for your current industry? Where is it headed?
The mobile app development industry is evolving at a break-neck speed and to survive and thrive in this digital Darwinian era, you have to get acquainted with the changing mobile app development trends.
Today, mobile is fundamentally transforming business models, operating models, and marketplaces, at a surprising rate. By the year 2021, mobile app market revenue is expected to reach $693 billion.
AI and ML have been amongst the top mobile app development trends for the last few years. In fact, when Deep Learning joins hands with ML, it can do wonders for mobile app development projects by providing valuable data and real-time analytics.
Walk us through a day in the life of Sebi!
- Get up at 7.30 am
- Have Breakfast at 7.45 am
- Read news online
- Read something related to new technologies.. (I love reading)
- Start work at 10.30 am
- Go through everything that is happening/ be structured
- Working on issues/bugs with the code
- Lunch at 1 pm
- Work until late evening
- Have dinner & spend some time with family
- Head to sleep
What is the Springworks team like?
Everyone is approachable and kind here. Work culture is different from other organizations and the team here is very supportive.
Springworks gives its employees reasons to stick around for many years. I’ve been provided with opportunities to contribute to various projects and explore technologies within my job role.
What advice would you give someone who is seeking the same line of work?
Whenever you face failure, remember that there is no such thing as failure. There is only education.
The key is distancing your emotional self and taking the remarks as you would listen to a doctor’s advice. Next, accept the critical feedback with openness and gratitude.
