Critical thinking and good communication skills are at the heart of Dean Kane’s role as a Software Developer at Elemental Software.
Find out how he became a Software Developer at Elemental Software
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
After University, I worked in public relations for a short time but realised it wasn’t for me. I then spent a number of years working in the American health insurance industry processing specialist claims. After re-qualifying, I worked as a Graduate Software Developer in the air transport industry. Subsequently, I obtained a position as a Software Developer at Elemental Software where I was able to drop the word ‘graduate’ and began at my current profession.
What was your favourite subject at school?
Maths followed closely by IT and P.E.
Did you go on to further/higher education, if so what did you study and where?
I left school at 16 and completed a BTEC at South Eastern Regional College. From here, I progressed to complete a degree in Public Relations at Ulster University. A few years later, I returned to education and completed a certification in Java from Oracle and I loved it – I got a real buzz from the problem solving and the learning. After that, I attended Letterkenny Institute of Technology where I obtained a First Class Honours degree in Computer Science.
How did you get into your area of work?
Upon completion of my education and certification, I officially entered the world of software development with a position as a Graduate Software Developer, working in the air transport industry.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
I would have preferred to be playing centre mid-field for Real Madrid, but only after doing a certification in Java did I realise this is what I wanted to do. I wouldn’t look back now.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
For my first role, a computing degree or formal equivalent certifications were required as part of the job specification.
Are there alternative routes into the job?
There are people out there who are great programmers that have no formal qualifications. However, I think it is hard to get a job in this industry in Northern Ireland without having them, given the competitive nature. Therefore, I would advise anyone who is in that situation to look into getting formally certified in their favoured programming languages.
What are the personal skills your job requires?
Problem solving, critical thinking and communication skills as well as a desire to learn.
What does a typical day entail?
While working from home, I start working around 9am after waking up at around 8.55am. My day normally consists of writing code to create new features or to fix occasional bugs on the Elemental Platform. Work is mostly done independently. However, sometimes I will require help and there are other developers who are happy to jump on a video call at any time, it’s a very supportive work environment. Around midday, I then host a stand-up meeting with one of the development teams. We give updates on how our work is going and talk about solutions to any problems. Overall, I spend every day working together with the Development and Product teams to deliver software. It is great to be working as part of a team of experienced developers from whom I can learn.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
Every day is a school day as a software developer. There are so many tools and technologies you could never learn everything, but it is nice to be consistently learning. The most challenging aspect is that you are constantly thinking about solutions to problems. This is good, but sometimes it can give you a sore head.
Why is what you do important?
Elemental’s platform positively impacts people’s lives through the digitalisation of Social Prescribing. Social prescribing is a method of referring people towards non-medical sources of support within the community to help them improve their overall wellbeing, via a social prescribing link worker. This can include activities like fitness classes, gardening clubs, and healthy cooking programmes. Therefore, I know that every line of code I write can have a positive impact on people’s lives.
How has Covid-19 impacted your business/role?
I have been working from home since last March as a result. Social Prescribing is a largely in-person phenomenon, so the entire industry has had to adjust. Elemental developed a Self-Refer platform in response to Covid-19. Clients no longer need to meet a link worker in-person to receive assistance. In addition, during the pandemic, an increase in social isolation and mental health concerns has meant that NHS resources have been stretched worryingly thin. As a result, GPs have been under a huge amount of pressure to ease the strain on the front line. Our platform is now being used by thousands of GPs to help keep patients safe and ensuring they get the care they need.
What adjustments have you had to make?
Most of my team work remotely so I was well used to video calls. However, I had to improve my home office to facilitate working from home. It wasn’t a huge change other than getting an extra 30 minutes in bed in the morning. I do enjoy working from home but I think there is a balance, as I would prefer to be in the office some days engaging directly with my co-workers.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
Be persistent and have a desire to constantly learn and improve. Personal projects outside of work can help you develop new skills.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you like to do?
Be a travel vlogger like Bald and Bankrupt on YouTube and visit more unusual destinations (I am neither bald nor bankrupt…yet).
What is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
I would tell myself that I know more than I realise, so be confident. When you finish your education and start your first job, you normally don’t have any industry experience. Therefore, it’s easy to have self-doubt and not feel useful. This is not the case or you wouldn’t have been hired in the first place, you will gain experience and become more useful every day.
Describe your ideal day off.
A few cold pints on a warm day then going to a football match. Either that or taking my dog for a walk on the beach.
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
Be persistent and use keywords when searching.
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