What to remember according to a full stack developer

We talked in an interview with Florin, Full Stack Developer at OceanoBe, about autonomy, ownership, projects to remember, and what it takes to get there.

Here is the thing. I knew when I first met Florin that there is much under the surface. He is a very composed guy, has a keen sense of humor, and is super grounded and down to earth. But if you take a closer look at who he is, what he does, and especially how he does it, you will find there is an amazing value system. He is super motivated, passionate, and has a deep level of dedication. On top of this, he is a strong advocate for autonomy, ownership, and responsibility. 

In this interview, you will get to discover more about Florin, what he does as a full stack developer, his experience, and some of the projects he helped build and improve. He also has some wise advice and I invite you to find out the whole story.

Getting to know you

• Florin, so tell me what do you do here at OceanoBe?

Most of the time I work in backend development. In general, I work on generic components that have an impact on the project, meaning that they are used on a large scale. 

• Could you tell me some examples of work you have done?

There are a few interesting ones. I worked on a backend project with query optimization in the database, there were a lot of inefficient interrogations there and we were called in to optimize parts of the application and make it better. They had a framework that few could understand. Once we got on the project, the team and I, took our time to understand what the framework was supposed to do, it was custom built over the Spring framework, and then we began optimizing it. We learned how to use it more effectively, refactoring pieces of code until we managed to optimize every query in the database. This really helped the application and others from the client's team because they have benefited from the knowledge transfer. It was a nice experience overall.

And there is a pilot project that was a greenfield project that allowed me to do not just the backend development but also have my input on the structure. I got to implement authentication, which is not an easy subject. I got to get involved in the creation and decision-making process. Needless to say that this part of assuming ownership, autonomy, and responsibility was very thrilling for me. It was a memorable experience. 

• I know you have a keen sense of humor and that you are really a multitasker. What other words would best describe you?

Pragmatic for sure (smiling). I am also on the run for clean code. There are of course situations where you have to deliver something under time pressure, but I always try to do my best and deliver something useful that I know will help in the long run. For example, I integrated AWS, MongoDB, Spring Boot last version, Kafka with third parties, and there you see many problems. I am the type of person who is always searching for solutions, I don’t just stop or quit. 

• What’s your go-to activity to relax? 

Walks, travel, sports like court and table tennis, or football. And definitely mountain trips. 

Growth

• Tell us how you started your career and when did you decide that a Full Stack Developer position was right for you?

In the beginning, I joined an internship as a full-stack developer. I was involved in the payments process in the banking industry. I created pages with many filters, working with databases, and front-end with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. After this, I switched teams and joined an automated testing team where I became a tech lead. As a tech lead, I was involved in conducting training sessions and I also act as a Product Owner for a project that was an Adapter of a bigger application. The platform was using Spring Framework and the team contributed to the development of both frontend and backend levels. After that, an opportunity for a Full stack opened up here at OceanoBe and I got to learn Angular. 

• How would you describe a growth environment in a professional setting?

An environment where you can make mistakes in the beginning and have a testing team. This will help you learn faster and adapt. If you are in a constant state of fear of failure, you will not improve. Also having a senior peer that could help you grow and to have autonomy and ownership. Especially in the beginning, doing code reviews is really helpful. Greenfield projects are also a great way to learn and grow.

• Looking back at the projects you helped build, was there a particular project that you feel contributed to your growth and development?

The best one was the pilot project. It was the perfect growing experience. We had lots of autonomy and everybody was so involved and keen to do his/her best in order to deliver a successful product. And it was (smiling). It was stressful but so rewarding. 

Flexibility

• Talking about flexibility, what does that mean to you?

It means that I can work on my own rhythm, at my own pace. For that, you need a flexible schedule. And also flexibility means you have autonomy and ownership of your work. This of course comes with responsibility and, for me, that is the perfect mix.

• One of the core values here at OceanoBe is flexibility, how does that translate into the workplace? 

Ohh definitely schedule flexibility and being able to have a hybrid work environment, combining work from home with the opportunity to have an office space where you can interact with your colleagues. And here we have just that.

Excellence

• What does one have to do to pursue excellence as a full stack developer?

Well, if you have to start somewhere, better start with reading the documentation. This is a great thing because here you will be able to spot the problems and think of solutions way before even putting down a line of code. Also, follow people online that have experience. There are a lot of youtube channels now that provide great content and solutions.

• How do you feel about your contribution to what we do here at OceanoBe?

My hope is that I always deliver a clean code to the best of my ability for each project. I do my best to harness each opportunity given, for each project I take on, I make sure I take ownership of it and be very conscientious about it. And I think that reflects best on the image that I have created in the relationship with our clients. 

• What was the thing that drew you to OceanoBe, as a company? Is there anything that makes it stand out?

The people, some I already knew of course and I needed a change. Flat management is also one thing that drew me in, smaller companies are much more efficient, people have stronger bonds and there is definitely more openness. 

• What is the number one thing that helps deliver excellence in a project? 

Having all the team involved, each team member should bring his best forward. Of course, having a great team leader will help set you in the right direction and mindset. And from here on you will have an energy that will be able to create amazing results.

Experience

• What was the latest technology/tool you learned? 

From one of my latest projects, I learned in-depth Cloud AWS. It’s easy to use and has lots of features.  

• Finally, is there something that you are looking forward to learning?

Hmm, I think next on the list for me is diving deeper into Kubernetes. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this interview and we hope that you found here a spark of inspiration. As always please feel free to check our Join our team page to learn more about OceanoBe’s culture and team. 

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