Sr Software Engineer

Demand is growing for software engineers with the feds projecting a 22 percent increase in employment from 2020 to 2030, which is “much faster than the average for all occupations.”

Innovative software engineers are also becoming increasingly important across industries. At System1, they’re key to a thriving business.

We asked System1’s Michael Greene to walk us through his day-to-day life as a Sr. Software Engineer for the Search team. He also shared advice for new developers.

How would you describe your job to family or friends?

I work as part of a team that maintains and develops our independent search engines, such as info.com.

Day In The Life

I arrive around 30-45 minutes before my first meeting. This gives me time to unpack, read emails, catch up on slack and take a look at my JIRA tickets, plus the team agile board, to determine what I’ll likely be working on for the day. Then I have two back-to-back stand-up meetings for the two teams I’m on. If no one needs any help or input from me, I jump right into working on the highest priority task on my plate. The rest of my day is working on assigned tasks, assisting my cohorts as opportunities arise, and having the occasional meeting or two.

What advice or tips would you give someone looking for a role in software engineering?

Always be learning. One of the keys, I think, to being a great developer is to not just be open to new learning experiences, but to actively challenge yourself to learn new things, get a little outside your comfort zone, and push the limits of your own knowledge. Breadth of experience can be a powerful tool in the hands of a software developer. You never know when that weird solution from a few years ago will suddenly become relevant to a new task or project. Learn a new programming language; you might be surprised by the new ideas it gives you that you can apply to the ones you already know.

How did you first get interested in software development?

We got our first family computer when I was a kid and I started learning to use it right away. My dad taught me a little BASIC and I took off on my own from there.

What’s one of your favorite memories from working at System1 so far?

Going to Catalina Island with the rest of the search team after we beat a major deadline.

How did you prepare for your interview or role?

I prepared for interviews by working on practice problems on sites like LeetCode and GeeksForGeeks.