Six Months at VI - Daniel

Already, six months have gone by since I joined VI Fintech. It's simultaneously been a calm and breakneck experience I would not trade for the world, and I have still have so much ahead of me. So, lets chat about whats happened.

After spending five years programming during my education I thought I was ready for the professional world, but nothing quite prepared me for the difference between personal projects and professional programming. The transition has been a humbling but exciting experience, full of responsibility and endless opportunities for growth. Every challenge has been a chance to improve, and I’m grateful to be in a role that pushes me to keep learning and evolving.

During my time here, I have learned so much about how companies operate and what the industry is like. I want to avoid doing too much name-dropping of systems and processes like ‘agile’ as if I’m writing a bizarre CV, so I will simply say that I had no idea just how wide and varied the responsibilities of every software developer actually are, and how much work goes in to keeping everyone working correctly in tandem. From client communication to extensive test suites, and planning future tasks for people to work on, it’s been an insightful time where I tackled far more than I expected - and they certainly have you hit the ground running here.

From day one I was given an impressive set of responsibilities - things I would never have imagined I would get to work on. I have produced many forms to bespoke client specifications, worked on critical systems that’s correctness is the only barrier preventing significant legal issues, experimented with internal systems to support my fellow devs, and fixed more bugs that I could possibly count. I have been given opportunities many junior developers could only dream of, and given my all whenever possible. Of course, confidence is nothing compared to the cold reality of my ignorance and inexperience. Fortunately my co-workers have been around to pick me up when I falter.

And what a great cohort I have found myself! Since joining, I have been pushed again and again to never fear asking for help. Certainly, they want you to try to solve the problem yourself first, but it’s expected that you don’t know everything. I have never felt unable to request assistance, and when I have they have been as kind, understanding, patient, and knowledgeable as I could hope for. If nothing else, they make great conversation. This has felt like a company that really wants me to grow and develop, and my ideas and suggestion feel as valued as any other member.

I can say with certainty I have had a wonderful 6 months, and I have no intention of changing up anytime soon. In the future, I look forward to developing more complicated features for our clients and improving myself in the process. Our systems are a wealth of knowledge and experience to make my own, so I can’t wait to keep up the good work.