TrueML Career Growth & Development

Give us a snapshot of what you do to stay on top of your engineering knowledge and skills. 

My journey as a software engineer has been a bit unconventional. The majority of my professional experience comes from working at TrueML Products, which means I haven’t had the opportunity to switch between different engineering roles or gain exposure to industry standards and updates that typically come with such transitions. Instead, most of my learning comes from tackling the design problems that land on my desk.

As an engineering manager, my process is fairly consistent. I usually start by consulting with our head architect or the tech lead for the relevant domain to see if there are any standard solutions or established best practices for the problem at hand. From there, I dive into research, starting with the official website and documentation of the technology in question. I’ll explore any tutorials available and try to recreate my use case in its simplest form. Once I’ve explored a few potential solutions, I bring them to the team for a design discussion. These discussions are invaluable — hearing my colleagues’ opinions helps me refine the solution and test its robustness.

What are your go-to resources for keeping your engineering skills sharp? 

First and foremost, I learn from the incredibly talented engineers here at TrueMLP. We’re fortunate to hire experts in their respective domains, and it would be a huge missed opportunity not to learn from them. Their wealth of experience is invaluable to my own growth as an engineer.

Whenever I’m tasked with designing a new technical solution for an initiative, or when I find myself working with a new system, I make it a point to check for relevant Udemy or Coursera courses. These platforms offer great ways to quickly get up to speed. And, because I’m a bit of a nerd, I also keep an eye out for sales on these sites  —  sometimes, the right course at the right price can make all the difference.

In addition, I regularly check Hacker News for anything that piques my interest. When I come across a topic that stands out, I dive deeper into it, using that spark of curiosity to guide my learning and exploration.

What does the learning culture look like at your company or on your engineering team? 

At TrueMLP, we are encouraged at every level to stay curious and continuously seek knowledge from both internal and external sources. The culture here fosters a mindset of learning and growth, which is vital for keeping up with the fast-paced tech world.

Internally, we have regular opportunities to share and exchange knowledge across the organization, particularly through our weekly “lunch and learn” sessions. These gatherings allow us to dive into new topics, share insights and learn from each other’s experiences.

Externally, we receive strong support in our professional development through expense reimbursement, which helps us pursue various learning opportunities. Whether it’s enrolling in training courses, obtaining certifications, attending industry events, participating in hackathons or joining meetups, we are encouraged to expand our skill sets. Additionally, we are provided with resources to help us discover these opportunities, ensuring that we have the tools we need to continue growing.

Finally, every initiative and ticket we work on presents an opportunity to learn something new. We’re given the time and space to explore and deepen our technical understanding.