The role of a software developer varies from company to company and even team to team.
One of TRIIIO's goals for starting this blog is to share insights of seasoned tech veterans and obtain insights that can help software developers grow, and provide the true contributions that enable their employers to recognise them.
In this article, we speak to Rayner Chu, delivery manager and de facto Malaysian country manager of Strands, a Barcelona-based global fintech solution developer.
To get to this level, Rayner needed to be challenged beyond the technical aspects of his job. He had to stretch himself beyond designing algorithms and programming and grow into a high-value individual who can communicate concisely and manage both people and technology to give his organisation a competitive edge.
Reality Check! - Life of a Computer Science student
As long as he can remember, Rayner has always wanted to be a computer programmer. “I was a classic geek, analytical and introverted.”
It was dream come true when he got into the University of California San Diego (UCSD) - one of the world’s top 50 software engineering schools - but he was in for a rude shock.
“UCSD was no party school,” he shares with a laugh. “During my university days, I was always in the lab. My school was next to the beach but sadly, I was rarely there. I barely had time to sleep. Every day, I go to the underground lab which is kind of smelly because everybody stays there overnight and doesn’t shower. When I come out, it’s already the next day and the sun has risen!”
The competition was fearsome too. “It’s not like if you score 90% you get an ‘A’. If the whole class gets 90%, you might end up with a C or even an F, because it’s such a good engineering school and my peers are hardworking AND smart.”
You don't have to be a UCSD graduate to work some great jobs! Here are some great Junior roles!
Art and science in one
The conditions may sound like torture to some but Rayner loved it. “I got a thrill out of solving complex problems. I always tell myself I need to sleep but I have to accomplish this in order to submit my assignment. ”
“Computer Science is such a demanding field that not only tests your knowledge but your deductive reasoning and logical thinking as a scientist. You might be able to Google the answers to some problems but just as many are from a new frontier, so nobody can tell you what to do. You have to think simple to solve complex problems, which is not easy. At the same time, you have to be creative and think out of the box. It’s art and science combined. Definitely, it takes a lot of determination before you get a breakthrough. Without passion, you cannot succeed in software engineering.”
Leaving your comfort zone
After graduation, Rayner coasted on a fairly predictable DevOps course. He got his first taste as an Application Specialist at DynaFront Systems Bhd, where he developed and maintained Java based web applications, before moving to WebMeridian Technologies where he worked as a Senior Software Engineer for 2.5 years.
Then when he was 28, an offer came that would change his life.
“While networking at a tech seminar, business consultancy McKinney Rogers approached me to join them. They were setting up an office in Asia Pacific. They needed someone to support, set up and do training for their technology component.”
Rayner did some soul-searching. “I asked myself, do I really want to leave my comfort zone and go into this field? As you know, in DevOps if you’re not into it, you’ll be outdated pretty fast, so I knew I would be taking a risk. At the same time, I was aware that no one person can develop a software by himself nowadays. 20 years ago, one person could invent a software by himself and get funded to be the next Google. This no longer holds true because of all the technical giants out there, unless you have a terrific idea and are lucky enough to land a supportive venture capitalist with deep pockets.”
After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to take the risk and jump ship.
Rayer ended up staying in the company for seven years, and learned a ton of skills that got him where he is today.
The art of effective business communication
Rayner felt like a fish out of water initially.
Though his official title was “Dashboard Engineer”, the bulk of his work was explaining to chiefs of global MNCs how to turn their vision and strategy into actions by providing clarity and alignment throughout their management teams.
“Who am I, an introverted geek, telling C-suite executives running billion-dollar companies how to run their business?” he shakes his head at the memory.
To get himself up to speed, Rayner spent many humbling years “observing the other consultants to learn how to do it well and from a technical perspective.”
From a quiet introvert, Rayner’s communication skills improved by leaps and bounds. He reckons it’s the most important skill he learned from his time as a business consultant. “Whether you’re in the technical side or not, as you move up the corporate ladder, you will need to communicate with your team members, your customers and stakeholders, both internally and externally.”
It can be tempting to provide bosses and clients all the graphs, data, and technical information that is gathered during research, but in the end, business leaders don’t have the time to deal with extra information that won’t help them make good decisions. “Ineffective communication is a waste of everyone’s time,” he points out.
A competent communicator knows how to provide polished insights with distilled action items.
“Don’t bombard bosses with 10 to-do tasks because at the end of the day, you cannot accomplish all of them. Identify your top 2-3 priorities and focus on them. Organise your thoughts so that you can communicate your points in a clear and concise manner. You can’t be talking to a boss for half an hour and have no conclusion about what to do!”
How he applies these learnings at Strands
Looking back, Rayner is glad he left his safety net and developed new capabilities. “What I learned in business execution and communication was eye-opening. If I had continued to stay in software development, I would never have learnt universal lessons that can be applied cross-industry and across-jobs.”
This combination of soft and hard skills are invaluable to him as a people manager at Strands today. In 2017, he was recruited as a software engineer by the fintech organisation before being promoted to delivery manager two years ago. His responsibilities include hiring, training and guiding the team technically.
He says, “When you manage your team’s growth, you need technical expertise to be able to guide the team as well also the human side of things - how you motivate them, how you clarify and reinforce the company goals to your team, how you align your team with those goals.”
1. Building a politics-free culture
The best company cultures improve productivity and performance. Studies have shown that companies on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list generate more than twice the revenue growth of other companies.
While office politics is unavoidable in most organisations, the beauty of joining a new startup is that you can contribute or help cultivate the culture. Rayner recalls, “We started from nothing. Strands KL is the first Strands office in Asia Pacific. On the first day I joined, I was given an address to a service office in G Tower. I only know the senior engineer who came to train us. I asked him, Carlos, do you know where is the office? Oh great, let’s find it together! The founding team was just me and 3 other engineers.
From the ground up, Rayner and his colleagues have painstakingly built a workplace culture that is “more like family and friends.” “When you work in a small service office, it’s hard to play politics.”
2. Hire right from the start
To protect this close-knit, politics-free workplace culture, Rayner makes sure he gets it right from hiring process itself. It is essential that “the person we hire must not break the family culture” because in software development, a lot of success rides on teamwork.
“During an interview with a software engineer, I look beyond the technical skill,” he shares. “Technology changes so fast that it’s impossible to catch up. That’s ok as long as you have sound understanding and analytical skills, which can be trained.”
3. Teamwork goes both ways
As Rayner has pointed out numerous times, the job of a software engineer is very demanding. “The thought process from being able to break down a complex problem and not be overwhelmed and give up to find a simple solution - that is a big challenge esp for the younger generation. After training and onboarding, it will take at least half to one year for a new joiner to be independent.”
Without having a clear growth plan, there is a risk that these talented computer wizards will lose their way.
“In order not to drown and to keep swimming, new joiners need to ask for help and seniors have to be willing to offer help. As busy as they are, seniors must be willing to invest some time into guiding the new joiners to be a valuable contributor to the team. In DevOps, we are actually sacrificing individual gain for something longer-lasting and intangible.”
To newbies, Rayner likes to quote one of Steve Jobs’ most famous sayings: “Stay hungry, stay foolish.” The combination of skills and hunger will make you more independent, enable you to break through challenges and succeed in any role.”
Ready to work with Strands? They're looking for a Android Developer, Java Support Engineer, Front End Engineer and Project Manager!
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