Welcome to the first part of our new series, “A day in the life at Civo”! We have introduced this series to give you an insight into the different roles we have at Civo and what advice our team has.
In the first edition, “A day in the life of a Go Developer”, we spoke with Alejandro J. Nuñez Madrazo and Harsh Thakur, Go Developers at Civo. They provided us with an insight into what their journey has been and how you can do the same!
What has your journey with Civo looked like?
Ale: My journey with Civo has been incredible as it has helped me grow as a Developer and as a person. I come from an island in the middle of the Caribbean (Cuba), and working for a Cloud provider was always a big dream of mine. Civo gave me the opportunity to realize my dream and I thank Mark and Dinesh for trusting me throughout the process.
Harsh: I joined Civo a little over a year ago (a couple of months before it went into GA). Since joining, it has been an amazing experience. The team has given me space to be the best version of myself and always appreciates my work.
What does the role of a Go Developer involve?
Ale: Typically, the role of a Go Developer involves staying up-to-date with the latest news in the industry. This has meant reading a lot of books and articles each day.
Harsh: My role involves developing and maintaining different services that Civo offers. This includes writing Operators, API, and other open-source projects which are integrated into the Kubernetes ecosystem. With the RFC (Request For Comments) culture here at Civo, proposing and discussing changes with the team is also a significant part of my work.
What does your typical working day look like?
Ale: At the start of every day, I begin by reviewing any pending issues and unread emails that have come through overnight. We typically have daily meetings to discuss the status of projects which allows us time to assign tasks that still need to be completed. This gives me the chance to begin a review of the Merge Request that I have been assigned.
Harsh: Usually, I start off my day with heads-down development. For the rest of the day, I might help other team members by replying on Slack or having short calls.
What are some current projects your team is working on?
Ale: We have a lot of great projects that are currently being worked on behind the scenes, but they are mostly a secret for now! I believe that some of these projects will help many Developers and DevOps to work more efficiently in the future.
Harsh: One of our recent projecs is that we’ve just finished Object store, which is now in GA. On top of this, our team is working towards a range of other goals that I won't reveal just yet!
How does your team work together in a global business?
Ale: As we are a global company we continue to find ways to agree on what we are working on. Despite this, I think the most difficult part of working together is not having the same schedule.
Harsh: Although we’re in different timezones, we usually have a common working window where we can catch up with each other. Also, a lot of our discussions happen in Slack threads meaning that any non-urgent tasks can be discussed asynchronously.
What have been some challenges you have faced in your role?
Ale: Whilst every project that we work on at Civo has been a challenge, the main challenge that I have faced within my role involves the time I had to write multiple operators alone (10).
Harsh: One of the major challenges I faced was managing my time and energy. I have found that there are tasks which require a lot of focus and are better executed at the beginning of the day when I’m energetic. I’ve been able to tackle it better these days by planning out my day ahead.
How have you found the 4-day work week has impacted your role?
Ale: The 4-day work week has been awesome! It has given me the opportunity to enjoy more time with my family and have more time for side projects that I want to work on.
Harsh: A lot of my stress that builds up during the week is resolved with a 3-day weekend. So, when I start my week, I feel more refreshed and calm which I believe sets me up for making better decisions.
Do you have any advice for someone who wants to become a Go Developer?
Ale: Never stop learning. Read and try everything you can. Even when you don’t think you will use it, it always helps to know how something will work. Knowledge is the only thing that no one can take away from you.
Harsh: I’d highly recommend contributing to open-source, being part of a tech community, and being patient for good things to happen to you!
What makes your role at Civo special?
Ale: I want to say that at Civo, we are all special. Something that I think defines Civo is a phrase that our CEO said once, "we succeed together and we fail together, if we fail it's nobody's fault, we stand as one". This is a phrase I will never forget and the reason why all roles within Civo are special.
Harsh: The amount of context-switching which is required for the role is stressful, and that is weirdly what I like about it! For instance, one minute you’re talking about an infrastructure issue and the next minute you’re interacting with a teammate in a context where the entire infrastructure is abstracted for them. Also, having a wonderful team who’re exteremly kind, supportive, and trustworthy makes my role at Civo special.
Want to learn more about becoming a Go Developer at Civo? Check out our careers page for more information on our latest roles.
