Collaboration & Code across Industries: Lessons from a Senior Engineer

My journey to software engineering was anything but typical. Initially, I studied molecular biology and biochemistry at university. A required computer science course introduced me to programming. I was drawn to how computers could solve complex problems. This newfound passion led me to double major in computer science and biochemistry. My early career involved working in cheminformatics and bioinformatics, applying my skills to antibiotics-adjacent research and developing applications to accelerate stem cell research. However, my curiosity for growth and desire to tackle large-scale problems led me to explore software roles across various industries, including energy, finance, and social media. Ultimately, I discovered Workday, drawn by the people we work with, the problems we solve, and the potential for a profound impact.

Collaboration Across Industries: A Universal Recipe for Success

Working across different industries has taught me that while the problem-space, technology, and office décor may vary, the core essence of work remains similar. No matter the industry, each day involves some form of understanding problems, crafting creative solutions, collaborating with a team toward a common goal, and striving for continuous personal and professional growth. There’s a universal recipe for success: be adaptable, support your colleagues, never stop growing, and embrace challenges outside of your comfort zone. Workday excels in acknowledging that companies thrive because of their people. Here, employees — or Workmates as we call ourselves- are not an afterthought. It’s this spirit of camaraderie and continuous learning that makes Workday an exceptional place to build your career.

Crafting Quality Code: From Learning to Impact

Writing clean, easy-to-understand, and reliable code is no small feat. You need a strong foundation in software engineering fundamentals like data structures, algorithms, and design patterns. And when you’re diving into an existing codebase, shared coding standards with your team are essential. Code reviews and design sessions are invaluable for learning from your peers and refining your skills. For example, during the review process, our team ensures that we understand both the purpose and decisions behind code. This often leads to alternative suggestions and possible optimizations the author had not considered. Additionally, strong two-way dialogue leads to knowledge sharing on pain points, improvements, and learning for all participants. Even with tight deadlines, taking the time to thoroughly review each other’s work is crucial. It keeps the codebase healthy and helps everyone improve.

Navigating Documentation: Clear Communication for Diverse Audiences

Technical documentation is an often underestimated but crucial aspect of software engineering. The key to effective documentation lies in understanding the audience. For internal developers, it’s about providing sufficient detail to grasp the topic thoroughly. This includes explaining the purpose, implementation, design considerations, and available resources for further learning. For external users, especially in the context of APIs, the focus shifts to clarity and usability. Here, we emphasize functionality and use-cases, avoiding overwhelming technical details.

At Workday, we prioritize clear and concise technical writing. This clarity ensures that engineers of varying skill levels can easily understand and utilize the documentation. The goal is not just to inform but to empower engineers to leverage the documented technologies effectively. Whether it’s internal teams or external users, the aim is to make the information accessible and actionable.

Looking Ahead: The Bright Future of Engineering at Workday

Workday stands at a pivotal moment in its journey. As a cloud-based innovator, it has consistently led the way in an industry ripe for transformation. With over 10,000 customers and a plethora of cutting-edge technologies, the potential for making a positive impact is greater than ever. Within the Analytics domain, we’re focused on enhancing user experience in reporting, a platform that handles over 4 billion transactions monthly. Even small performance improvements can lead to significant resource and time savings for our customers. Our integration of ML and AI goes beyond industry buzzwords. We’re exploring these technologies thoughtfully and responsibly, creating opportunities for engineers to experiment and innovate.

Final Thoughts: The Benefits of Algorithmic Practice

It’s not uncommon for software engineers to dislike coding problems, such as those found on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank; they may feel contrived, unnatural and not what is reflected in actual day-to-day work. I shared this same perspective. But these problems do offer benefits. They challenge software engineers to recognize scenarios where data structures may be appropriate. They force you to apply an algorithm to solve a problem, analyze its space and time complexity, and evaluate tradeoffs against other possible implementations. Even if you may never need to write software to count the islands in a 2D graph, the ability to code a solution to this problem will harden your computer science foundations. Learn to use different data structures. Learn to recognize patterns among problems and suitable algorithms that would apply. Learn to analyze the complexity of your algorithms and evaluate tradeoffs. Over time, it will sharpen your skills and solidify the knowledge necessary to make you a better software engineer.

A successful software engineer is a person with a blend of technical proficiency, problem-solving acumen, and effective collaboration. By fostering a culture of continuous learning, teamwork, and innovation, Workday provides an exceptional environment for engineers to thrive. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your career, there’s always an opportunity to grow and contribute meaningfully.

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