Ever wondered what it's like to work at one of Greater Manchester's leading tech employers?
Gwyl is a Software Engineer at CTI Digital.
We spoke to him to find out more about this role, her experience at CTI Digital, and what an average day looks like.
Name: Gwyl
Company: CTI Digital
Job Title: Software Engineer
How did you get into your current role?
I saw a presentation by staff at CTI at an Umbraco event while working and they gave some really interesting ideas, and they sounded like the sort of people I'd enjoy working with so I applied and now I do. Before that I was a developer at another agency.
What do you enjoy most about working at CTI?
The tech, I get to work across many different projects with a lot of different technologies. Being part of the .NET and Mobile team we use a range of programming languages and architectures, and while each of the developers here have specialisations, I'm always learning or using something new.
What types of projects does your organisation typically undertake, and what are the typical project goals and objectives?
I'd say websites are our most common undertaking, both building new ones and improving existing ones. Our goals are to make accessible, efficient and user friendly experiences for anyone who uses what we create.
Have you developed new skills whilst being in the role?
Absolutely, I've learnt entirely new programming languages and software development techniques. I've also learned an incredible amount about AI and developing products that have AI integrations.
Can you share anything about the tools and methodologies you use?
We use Umbraco which is a great, open source CMS and one I would highly recommend. The architecture we'd most often choose for our software is headless (The site you see is detached from the logic and data behind it) which I consider a specialty of ours. It makes what we build extremely scalable and versatile. Tool wise we use the JetBrains suite (Rider the most!), VSCode, and a lot of others, it just depends what the best tool for the job is.
What is the Software Engineer role in your organisation, and how does it fit into the wider team?
The quick version is that I write code. Generally though it includes a lot of planning and co-operation with other teams to implement designs or meet our client's expectations.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I'd say my day often starts with the deployment of some new changes to a live environment which would be the first hour. For the rest of the morning I may be writing code for a new feature or updating an existing feature. Then for the afternoon I'd usually be planning a new feature, which would include running a site on a local database and co-ordinating with a UX designer to make sure things are right as we progress. Throughout the afternoon I'd have calls with colleagues or clients to discuss implementation of certain things, or calls with clients to discuss new functionality they'd like.
What opportunities are there for professional development and growth within your organisation?
I'm currently working towards being a Senior Software Engineer which is great. After I move into that position I'll be working towards a Lead Software Engineer so the pathway is very clear and defined.
What excites you the most about the work?
Definitely learning about and perfecting technologies that I work with, both in their implementation and sometimes even in the technologies I work with themselves, the open source ones at least.
Have you learned anything new since you started?
Without a doubt, I'd say the main things I've learned are AI related, how AI works, what it can and can't do, and how we can integrate it into existing products.
Thank you Gwyl!
To find out more about careers at CTI Digital, click here.
