Inside Cadana with Ruben Garcia
In the latest episode of Inside Cadana, we had the opportunity to interview Ruben, a software engineer working at Cadana. During our conversation, we explored Ruben's career trajectory and he generously shared his experiences within the tech space.
A brief introduction about yourself and what you do here at Cadana.
I'm Ruben, a 24-year-old guy from Venezuela, I'm many things, from a musician, a chef's apprentice, to a software engineer.
At Cadana, I hold the role of Engineer Lead, where I focus on automating and enhancing our internal processes. Additionally, I contribute to the leadership of various product features. A little bit of everything here and there.
What initially attracted you to a career in software engineering?
I’ve always been a Tech guy since I was just a kid. People usually tell me I’m good at solving problems, and being a software engineer was a door for me to do that as well as experiment with multiple ways to do things in this digital era.
In your opinion, what are the key qualities or skills that make a great software engineer?
I’m a really open-minded and curious person, while some people think about specific ways to do things, I can come up with unpredictable ideas around it. Paths to success are almost infinite, you just have to open your eyes and walk through them to find out what’s best!
Can you share a specific challenge or problem you faced in your role and how you overcame it?
One of the things that always worried me about the places where I worked was the automated tests (TDD), in one way or another I could always see failures through these processes that increased the effort that we had to dedicate to QA. The bottom line is that I dared to build a great library for us to write the best in automated tests. In the same way that I am constantly looking to optimize our backend. If you feel it is slow, or just not giving the best experience for you, don't worry, I have my eagle eyes on it to make it better
How do you handle stress and tight deadlines in your role?
When I feel stressed about my job, I just ask for a short disconnection time to break out of the routine and focus on some other enjoyable tasks during my given free time. Spoilers, I love to play the guitar, that’s a really relaxing time for me on disconnections.
How important are collaboration and teamwork in your role, and how do you approach it?
As individuals, we have our own potential, but walking alone through problems can be overwhelming at some point. We are humans, and having great people walking with you and sharing their essence is the best thing you can have to get across things. Trust your teammates!
How do you stay updated with the latest trends and developments in software engineering?
I follow threads on Twitter, Instagram, and Podcasts as well as TikTok content creators. Sometimes I just spend a few minutes during the week to read about new things around the technologies I use and see if I can bring some of it with me.
What aspects of your job do you find most fulfilling or enjoyable?
Solving problems is always my answer to this, I love the adrenaline, knowing that I have a barrier in front of me, and getting across it is one of the sentiments I enjoy the most while performing my job.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a career in software engineering?
Do not shy to ask why things are made in certain ways or either suggest a different path for getting things across. In this world, there are no bad ideas, by just speaking you can mark the difference between a good result and a fantastic one!