IT industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world and software development is one of the most popular career choices. Software developers can work on a wide range of projects, from simple apps to entire operating systems. While there are many benefits that come with the job title, there are even more misconceptions.

Blank is a software development agency with a focus on web3 projects and the majority of our team are developers. So, we asked one of them to share her experience working at an agency. Marija told us about her projects, work days, and her team. She also shared advice for those starting the role. So, let’s start!

About software development

To gain deeper insight into software development and required skillset for this role, we started this interview by asking Marija to share her perspective on what it really means and what skills all developers need. Spoiler alert, knowing how to write code is just a small part of this role.

What exactly is software development?

Marija: Software development is the process of designing, building, and deploying software. A software developer is a person who contributes to the development of software applications with their skills, knowledge, ideas, and creative approaches to work.

What skills does a software developer need?

Marija: Apart from understanding programming languages, a software developer should have the desire to learn and discover new things, creativity to come up with innovative solutions to problems, social skills, and empathy because they will most often work in a team that consists of very different individuals.

Working at a digital agency

Then, we focused on her experience working at a software development digital agency and asked her about her tasks, projects, and team. Marija has been with us for over two years and during this time, she's had an opporunity to work on various projects within different teams.

Do you remember the first few weeks at Blank? How did you settle into your role?

Marija: I joined Blank as a student and it was my first job ever. Starting the first job can be scary, but the team made the transition as painless as possible. During my first week, I got to know the people and the company's workflow. I was assigned to a project where I worked on developing the Blank website. The tasks were simple and their goal was to familiarise me with coding practices and development tools. When I first arrived my mentor was Marko Marinović, he reviewed my assignments and provided feedback and suggestions for improvement. He is still my go-to person when I face any technical problem.

What does your work day look like?

Marija: After having my morning coffee and chatting with colleagues, I usually start the day by reading messages on Slack and Discord. Then, I check Trello or Notion, which are apps used to track all the tasks that need to be done on the project and their progress. Most often, one of my responsibilities is to write and organize tasks, and I like to do it first thing in the morning.

When the team begins with the work for the day, we gather to discuss and agree on the day's plan. We communicate via Slack messages or hold a meeting depending on the circumstances. After that, I focus on my programming tasks. For frontend development we use NextJS and for styling, we mostly use Sass modules, Material UI and Tailwind.

What projects are you working on?

Marija: I mostly work on Web3 projects, with my primary role being the front-end developer. I like the variety of the Web3 projects, from a project that lets NFT holders receive wine from the highest vineyard in Europe to a Web3 car community that organizes drifting competitions.

My favorite project is Kitsumon, an online multiplayer NFT game. Over the course of almost a year, my colleagues and I worked on developing the front end for the entire Kitsumon website.

What’s your team like?

Marija: Since projects typically last for several months, the composition of teams can vary depending on the project specifications, so the teams mostly change. Even though we no longer work together on the same project, I always reach out to Đani to discuss any problems or bugs on projects each of us is working on. We frequently collaborate to find solutions. I also spam him with random gifs and videos on a daily basis.

How busy are you? How often do you have meetings?

Marija: The level of pressure can vary depending on the project's current stage. If it's nearing the deadline, there may be a lot of work to do, including addressing bugs and client feedback as quickly as possible. However, if the project is just beginning, there may be less pressure to complete tasks urgently.

In terms of meetings, I don't have many. Usually, the team has a brief daily meeting to update each other on task progress. Daily meetings are a common practice for most projects at the company.

Motivation and advice for software developers

To end this interview, we talked a little bit about what inspires her to keep learning and growing as a developer. Marija shared her favorite parts of her role with us and even gave some advice to aspiring developers. We’re sure you can learn a lot from her.

What motivates you?

Marija: What motivates me is the feeling of getting things done. I like being part of the process of converting the initial idea, step by step, into the final product. Additionally, I find motivation in community feedback. It's amazing to work on projects that allow me to hear the community's opinions, which in turn can improve the project. Since I primarily work on web3 projects that are developed for the community, the entire process is fascinating to me. Web3 technology is still relatively new, and many people are not familiar with it. We're continuously exploring ways to simplify the user experience and every new idea is always more than welcome.

What do you like most about your job?

Marija: I appreciate the trust the company places in its employees to perform their tasks without excessive monitoring or pressure.

Moreover, I value that my ideas are respected on projects, and the opinion of developers is considered vital. I'm free to suggest new features or potential improvements at any point during the development process.

What advice would you give someone starting your role?

Marija: I think that someone new to programming should start with the fundamentals and then spend time watching tutorials and attempting to create a project independently. With consistent practice, concepts that initially seem intimidating can become easier to understand. Over time, the ability to solve problems using programming tools will improve. Also, don't be afraid to apply for a job, the main thing is to have good basics, and the best way to learn is on concrete projects where you have real responsibility.

For those with experience, my advice would be to seek out something intriguing in every project they work on. It could be the project's topic, a new tool they'll use, or the opportunity to gain knowledge they can use later. This will make the project more enjoyable to work on.

Become a developer at Blank

Would you like to join our growing team of software developers? At Blank, we’re always looking for new, enthusiastic individuals who want to learn about new technologies and work on interesting projects. Don’t wait, visit our careers page and send us your CV & portfolio!