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Day in the life of a Software Engineer at Engine: In conversation with Darren Gorman

By Team Engine

Firstly, tell us a little bit about you and how you became a Software Engineer

I've always had an interest in software engineering but took quite a roundabout route into the field. I originally studied maths at university and after helping people learn how to SCUBA dive I considered becoming a school teacher for a while. I then realised coding was my true calling! I can't imagine doing anything else now, I've been lucky to have worked on a bunch of interesting projects in completely different domains.

What does a typical day look like as a Software Engineer at Engine?

It might start off by catching up with other team members on how we're getting on and what we'll be focusing on for the day. That could be developing a new feature for a client, fixing a bug, triaging incidents, doing a production release or all of the above! There are minimal meetings and processes but collaboration and communication is really strong. On a given day you can hunker down and really get stuck into solving a problem or you can easily reach out and get involved in something that might be new and unfamiliar.

Tell us the most exciting thing about being a Software Engineer at Engine

There's so much going on every day. The pace of delivery and the number of excellent engineers creates a real buzz and it feels like everyone is enthusiastic about getting things done. The energy makes it feel like a startup but with the backing of a much larger company in Starling. Engine seems to be front and centre in terms of plans for how the group as a whole will continue to grow.

What would you like to tell anyone looking to join Engine as a Software Engineer?

Go for it! The opportunities to learn and grow are plentiful for an engineer of any level. The maturity of the release and developer experience tooling combined with the friendliness and helpfulness of everyone who works here make it a very rewarding place to work. And if you do join, be sure to ask lots of questions!

What is the one piece of advice / guidance you’d have given yourself on your first day as an Engineer?

The platform is huge, don't expect to understand even a fraction of how everything works. You'll build expertise quickly and soon people will be asking you questions about how something behaves.