A day in the life of a front end developer
11/03/2020
Kelly Williams is one of our Front End Developers who, despite being “late to the party”, is making quite the mark on the IT industry.
She helps the New Zealand horticulture industry thrive through innovation. She mentors budding young developers. And she’s also one of the youngest members on the Priority One Executive Board (spoiler alert: that’s a huge achievement!).
Want to know how she fits it all in? Here’s a glimpse into Kelly’s life at Cucumber…
Tell us about your role – what does a typical day look like?
I’m responsible for how the user interacts with web applications. I consider how they want to move between pages, view information and access data, and I code the app accordingly.
The industry we work in is so diverse and creative. No two days are ever the same, but generally speaking…
8am - I cycle to work, which is a nice way to start the day. I never have to worry about parking!
8.30am - I get to my desk and settle in before our morning stand-up, which is where we jump on a conference call with our client to update them on our key focuses and milestones.
9.30am – As a team, we head out for a quick coffee and walk along The Strand (it’s really nice down there in the mornings) before I crack into some coding.
12pm – Lunch time. Being in the heart of the CBD means there are heaps of great options, but Our Place is my fav at the moment.
1pm – We’ll often have training sessions in the afternoon. Yesterday, for example, our project lead took a training in the framework that I code in (called Angular). I love the chance to pick someone’s brain.
5.30pm – I grab my bike and head home (is it bad I get a thrill whizzing past cars stuck in traffic?!).
6pm – My day isn't complete without a walk on the beach with Louie, my German Shepherd x Husky.
What sort of clients do you work with?
Since I started with Cucumber 18 months ago, I’ve worked with the team at Plant & Food Research on a web application to support the tracking of biomaterials for on-orchard trials.
We display data on the web app, which scientists use to track biomaterials from the lab (from flower pollination through to fruit production).
This type of technology exists in various forms, but what we’ve done is bring it all together – making life so much easier for our clients. We go out to Te Puke once a week to catch up with them, and there’s always fruit on offer which is a bonus!
How’d you get into the industry?
I was late to the party, really.
I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts and spent my younger years painting and working in hospitality in the UK.
I dabbled in IT once I was back in New Zealand, but when my partner got a rugby contract in Japan, I went with him and taught English.
I loved IT and wanted a clear career path when we came home, so I started teaching myself software development after work and on the weekends.
When I moved to Tauranga to join Cucumber, I also started a developer community and ran some events for Techweek. We catch up regularly for mentoring and coding sessions, and it was through these connections that I landed a position on the Priority One Executive Board. I’m one of only two young professionals and am loving it so far.
What’s the best thing about working at Cucumber?
The innovation! It’s a collaborative environment - there are some really smart people who work here and everyone’s keen to share their knowledge.
The culture is very social, too. We go out for coffee and lunch, and drinks on Fridays. It’s nice to get to know each other on that personal level.
We also have close relationships with our clients, which means we’re not held back if we need to create a new way of doing things to ensure we get results.
The cherry on top is living near the beach. When I was in Christchurch, I always had my heater on standby - so it’s safe to say the weather here is amazing!
Check out the rest of our team here
Written by Kelly Williams