Currently, IT-related positions are all the rage in the job market. So, as someone holding the Senior Developer position, what can you tell me about it?

To be specific, my role is a web developer. Our team develops websites and tools that cater to the needs of RareJob staff and tutors. This usually means having to code tools that aid in schedule management, communications, content delivery, data collection, and reporting, among others.

How different is it from other positions in the IT field?

A web developer’s focus is on the development of tools that users can run in web browsers such as Chrome and Firefox. It also involves some knowledge in setting up servers, but with the shift of computing into the cloud, it now also requires some knowledge of cloud or serverless tech.

With that said, what do you think are the essential skills that an IT professional should possess to become a developer?

The exciting thing that draws people into the IT profession is the growth of technology. It opens up so many possibilities. Any aspiring developer should have a knack for learning and using the growing number of technology available effectively.

The other important aspect of the industry is compliance. What separates rookies from professional developers is that professionals are accountable for their code. Their codes, despite their complexity, are still readable, maintainable, and open to future changes.

Now let’s talk about you. How did you find yourself in the IT and service development field?

In 2015, RareJob offered a coding boot camp for aspiring IT professionals with no required industry experience. I joined the boot camp, and when it ended, I got a job offer as a developer from RareJob.

That sounds really interesting. Can you give some highlights of the boot camp?

In September 2015, RareJob offered a coding boot camp as a pilot program for Zuitt and to hire new developers. In the course of 10 weeks, my camp mates and I practiced basic programming concepts and studied using a web development framework to create websites. At the end of the boot camp, we got to showcase our own basic social networking site.

Just a trivia, two of my camp mates also got job offers from RareJob. Now, all three of us are working here at RareJob.

As you said, you’re now working with RareJob. How long have you been working here?

I’ve been working here for 3 years, and I’m on my way to celebrate my 4^th year this coming January 2020.

Tell me, what’s a day in the life of a Developer in RareJob like?

Coding definitely takes a big chunk of it. There are also peer code reviews where we check each other’s codes to ensure they are readable and comply with standards. We also cater to requests from other departments, such as running SQL queries in the database for data gathering or manipulation and website account creation and deactivation.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced here in RareJob in relation to your tasks?

Bugs.

Bugs are the unwelcome by-product in software development. Sometimes the code you created just doesn’t behave the way you want it to. In other unlucky cases, the machine just chooses to stop working and creates bugs for you. Most of the time though, you get to change something that’s already working and alter its behavior, and then it starts to cause some problems.

That sounds hard! How do you get rid of these “bugs”?

At first, I thought good logical thinking and problem-solving skills are all it takes to squash bugs. Apparently, a more effective solution is communication. In the spirit of being proactive, you have to communicate these bugs or problems to the team and stakeholders effectively. Then, as a team, we will come up with solutions and workarounds until those bugs are fixed. Thus, bug fixing becomes a team effort, which is definitely a more gratifying process than fixing it all by yourself.

How is working as a Developer in the ESL industry different from working for other IT companies?

The fun thing about working in the ESL industry is its social aspect. The objective, after all, is to aid language learning and break barriers. Being sociable is embedded in the culture of the company. As developers in the ESL industry, we have to be good in our web dev skills, and in the spirit of breaking barriers, we also have to be able to communicate what we’re doing to others even if they have no technical background.

We are in an era where innovation has paved the way for digitalization, and now more than ever, many companies are in need of IT professionals like you. Why should jobseekers choose RareJob?

Free lunch! It’s that part of the day where I’m excited about what I’ll eat, and I don’t have to worry about that every day!

On a more serious note, the tech here has to grow with the rapidly evolving ESL industry, so there are definitely many avenues for growth. Given that the company is in the industry of learning, the company culture is supportive of learning.