What Do You Do? Junior Software Engineer

Hi there, 👋🏽 I’m Jordan, a junior software engineer at Cleo.

If you’re thinking about learning to code, or switching to a career in tech, read about my experience in my first 6 months as a software engineer at Cleo. (spoiler alert: I love it!)

I’ve already written a post about my journey into tech, which might be useful for understanding how I got here!

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The Culture at Cleo

My first day at Cleo was unforgettable, thanks to a 'Welcome to the team' meeting held by my squad. It was made even more memorable thanks to the ice breaker questions that had everyone in the room deciding whether they'd rather be a rat or a potato - a truly Cleo-like way to kick things off! (I’d definitely rather be a potato, btw)

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Weekly socials

Adding to the team's already amazing culture are the company-wide weekly socials, which I am always looking forward to! From wine tastings to crazy golf and even a Ghanaian cooking class - which was * chefs kiss*. There's truly something for everyone at Cleo!

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WNB Channel

I really appreciate the WNB Channel, a Slack channel dedicated to the Women and Non-Binary engineers at Cleo. We use this channel to discuss our experiences, recent wins (work-related or not), exchange ideas, and offer each other support. In the short time since I joined, the group has almost doubled in size - here's to continuing to build a strong, supportive community of WNB engineers!

A cheeky plug - we are always on the lookout for talented WNB engineers. Check out our open roles.

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Lessons Learned

As I reflect on my journey as a developer so far, I’ve encountered a lot of experiences that have shaped me both professionally and personally.

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Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is real, and it’s brutal. This sneaky phenomenon can make even the most skilled developer doubt their abilities. However, I've learned that acknowledging and embracing these feelings is key to overcoming them and continuing to grow.

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Be fearless

My team are constantly encouraging me and supporting me to take on challenges that are outside of my comfort zone, such as encouraging me to take the lead on spikes, and pairing with me, and supporting me when I pickup large tickets.

Each time this has happened, it’s gotten a little less scary. These challenges have helped me quickly develop both my skills, and confidence, as a developer.

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Learning is ongoing

Another valuable lesson I've picked up during my time as a developer is that learning is an ongoing process. I’ve learned that theres always more to learn, and even the most experienced developers are still learning everyday. Understanding this has helped me to enjoy the process of learning, rather than being intimidated by how much there is still to learn.

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What next?

If you had told me this time last year that I’d be a full time software developer for Cleo, I probably would’ve fallen off my chair. I’m still at the beginning of my journey and theres still so much left to learn. I’m really looking forward to what the next 6 months will bring.

I hope to expand further in my role and push myself to the next progression band, and it’s great knowing I’ve got the support of my team, mentors and everyone at Cleo.

Heres to the next 6 months of fighting imposter syndrome, debugging code and answering impossible questions with my team!