1. Who is Loc in your own words?

An adventurous explorer who is always curious about new things. Most people are unaware that I am curious by nature. I am often willing to expand my learning, growth and experiences far beyond the norm. My thirst for adventure comes from the idea that every adventure brings about new experiences!

2. What does a typical day look like for you at Parcel Perform and what are you currently working on?

As with most backend developers, a typical day in summary would mean finding bugs in my code and killing them! More thoroughly, backend developer, my scope of work is to maintain and improve ElasticSearch. I also create a scatter service that distributes workload to multiple workers. I hope that I will be working on more interesting projects in time to come, so I can develop my personal skills to prepare for future tasks as well.

3. Explain your change in roles and how was your transition from being a front-end developer to a back end developer? 

Getting familiar with new technologies such as Scala, (Apache) Flink, ElasticSearch etc. which opens a brand new page of knowledge for me. I like stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things, so this change has given me an opportunity to widen my skill set and perspective.  The transition was a great experience where I got prompt support and advice from other colleagues. They encouraged me and gave me tips when I felt lost, which motivated me to work even harder in my new position.

4. As an engineer, what made you want to work with Parcel Perform?

Having a chance to work at a fast-growing startup has helped me gain valuable experiences. As our collection of data grows even larger with every new customer we gain, it contributes to new challenges that encourage me to learn and grow to meet the company’s needs. I feel that difficult times stimulate growth in a way that good times can’t, and overcoming my personal or work obstacles can help to build resilience and strength. I also really enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with figuring something out on my own.

5. What is your favorite thing about working as a BE Developer for the Artemis Squad?

Artemis is front-end focused. Being a back-end developer in the squad gives me more room for self-development and improving code structure. Backend developers are vital for the success of any web application as we develop, maintain, debug and test the whole back-end. This process is a bit more complex as we focus on business logic rather than the design aspect that is seen in front-end development, so it works my brain in an exciting way. 

6. What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I enjoy learning Japanese in my spare time. I really appreciate Japanese culture and wanted to educate myself on the language. Studying the way they read, write, talk and hear has been a unique journey that has helped me. The Japanese are also known for their scientific knowledge and creativity. Their hard work and innovation also inspires my curiosity. 

7. What about Parcel Perform has given you a unique working experience?

The most important things I’ve learnt here are open communication and flexible policies. As I work very closely with the frontend development team and other departments, keeping all teams aligned helps us all to be a high-performing team. It is important for everyone to be on the same page so that we can work towards a defined goal more productively. I also find that being honest and open with each other by offering honest feedback and setting clear expectations has enabled us to be closer in a personal way.

Out of work, we have a team to play badminton. I really enjoy doing activities with my colleagues so that we can bond! It helps us relieve work stress and get to know each other better. It has been fun knowing what they are passionate about outside the workplace and learning about their personal lives. A happier team is a better team!

8. A motto or personal mantra to end off?

“Talk is cheap. Show me the code.” ~ Linus Torvalds