A principal software engineer sitting in a glass cubicle; time flies by when he’s working on his laptop. He enters a flow state because he loves what he’s doing and is always willing to learn something new concerning his field. Salman Aziz is surely loving his work life as a Dedicated Android Developer at vteams.
Salman has been working as a dedicated android developer at vteams for 7 years now. He graduated from Comsats in the 2014 batch and completed his diploma in electrical engineering that is almost equivalent to intermediate studies. Before joining vteams, Salman worked at Cric-Ingif as a Native Android Developer.
Current Job Roles at vteams
Salman is a principal software engineer and the current acting team lead of the department. His job roles and expertise span from:
- Project Management
- Code review – checking code quality
- Issue Guidance
- Providing project estimations to the business development team
- Client communication
- Basic solution setup – setting up prerequisites
- Project reporting
- Creating project milestones/sprints
He is adaptive enough due to his 7 plus years of expertise in the Android field which is why he handles a wide range of roles and responsibilities much easily.
Salman is a goal-oriented individual and said that the only way for him to grow in this dynamic IT field was to step out of his comfort zone and take ownership of his work.
A Day in the Life of a Dedicated Android Developer
Salman usually arrives at the office between 10 to 11 AM. He spends his first-hour checking emails and overviewing pending tasks, if any. Most of the client communication is handled via email so it gets easier for him to respond with a fresh mind.
At around 12 AM, he calls for a meeting and engages his team by assigning them tasks. He manages the backlog in Tyga (agile project management software), and identifies any dependencies his teammates might have such as any requirements his teammates needed from the back-end or the front-end team.
Salman takes his lunch break between 1-2 PM and usually hangs around with his fellow colleagues at that hour of the day. He relaxes for a bit and lays off any anxiety before returning to his workstation.
2:00 PM onwards, Salman stays involved with his development tasks while managing the team, all done simultaneously. In his work cycle, he always takes an hour or two out just to learn more about the technology he’s working on. In this time he would read trending tech blogs to stay up-to-date
“In order for me to have a tight grip on my work I have to stay updated on any latest news related to my tech stack. Just like doctors have to be fully aware of any latest medical techniques, I have to be on the top of my game when working with newer projects.”
Says Salman
His remaining time is spent supporting his team in case they are facing any difficulties. If there is some priority task that needs his urgent attention, he appoints one from his team to get his support in making things done.
“Native android development projects have high complexity levels and without proper teamwork, project milestones cannot be achieved in due time. If any of my teammates are facing a serious problem we as a team come together in solving it as soon as possible to move on to the next task at hand.”
From his past experiences, he learned that if you’re stuck then immediately move on to the other task instead of wasting time on solving that. Coming to that problem with a fresh mind will allow you to resolve it more easily than ever.
Salman highlighted the fact that in his starting years as a dedicated android developer, he spent 9 hours fixing some bugs in his code. He now stresses moving forward with another task instead of banging his head because of one problem. This method has allowed him to increase his productivity levels to the max and work more effectively.
Currently, he is working on an app that is based on automating the booking of sites to hunt animals, especially the rare kind. This app will help the user to access maps offline as well as record the maps to triangulate the animals they’ll be hunting.
“Every project that I’ve worked on has been interesting but this project, in particular, is exciting because we’re trying to develop a function in the app that will enable the user to access maps offline.”
He usually gets off from work at around 8 PM and hits the gym at 9:30 PM before going back home. His routine is fairly strict on the weekdays because he always follows a tight schedule. But his weekends are full of entertainment. Netflix or video gaming is not something he is much fond of but these days, he focuses on spending more time with his friends outdoors alongside his family.
Salman sometimes enjoys a game of chess and a PUBG match. A weird combination though but it’s a matter of personal preferences. The online IQ test is something he gives on a regular basis just to challenge himself. He also highlighted that if he wasn’t into coding, he probably would be a stock trader.
Salman aims to become a Solution Architect that provides solid grounds for software development. But before that, he wants to have a good grip on iOS Development. At the moment, he’s maturing his experience in Hybrid Development while Native Android Development is his core interest.
A Piece of Advice
Salman absolutely recommends this role to anyone who wants to grow early on in his professional career as a dedicated android developer. According to him, the difficulty level of native android development is lower but the complexity is higher. This allows for an individual to hone his problem-solving capabilities. A sense of accomplishment is achieved while you solve problems that boost your motivational levels.
Moreover, as a dedicated android developer, you can be a part of society’s easement by automating mundane things through an app. Ideate and create a unique app that solves a particular problem with of course automation integrated in it.
“Focus on core development/data programming because that barely changes. If you don’t abide by the rules of data programming then you’ll be building an app that will consume a lot of resources. For example, the app might drown your phone battery or consume your mobile data. The point is if the basic structure isn’t constructed well then the building will fall. So make your base strong in data programming and everything else will fall in place for you.”
If you want to have diversity in your career as a developer then becoming a native android developer is an excellent choice. This career path will only be fruitful for you if you’re willing to go the extra mile in advancing your skills.
To become a great native android developer, you must have a solid can-do attitude and the best will follow along.
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