I think having a user manual is really cool, after months of procrastination finally wrote one 🎉
About me
I am from Pune, India. Studied Business Management with a focus on Computer Science. I work as a product engineer at CoLearn.
Conditions I like to work in
Quiet and clean workspaces, usually that place is my bedroom. I struggle to focus if the environment around me is noisy or dirty, OCD kicks in. Take notes on a clean unruled notebook when focused.
The times/Hours I like to work
10:00am - 5:30pm or sometimes 6:00pm. I usually start my day right after morning standup. Why? The nature of work that happens in my pod is ad-hoc, meaning any random p0 work can drop in, so in the standup, we discuss these p0 line items and then plan the rest of the day accordingly. I am a morning person. My focus deteriorates as the day proceeds. My day is not filled with meetings, so this gives me enough focus time to get work done.
Best ways to communicate with me
Jira for task-specific communication, no context is lost there. Preferred choice. Slack is the quickest way to get my attention. Response time might differ when I am in a pairing session. If it is absolutely important a phone call will do the trick.
The ways I like to receive feedback
Just put it to me straight where I screwed up, where I can improve, what I did good, etc. Feedback is really important to me in my early career days and I see it as a learning opportunity. I will be grateful if the feedback includes examples of how things can be improved/different. If I am not given an example, I will not hesitate to ask for one.
Things I need
My pair(programmer) to be empathetic during pairing sessions, I might screw up or not see the obvious while writing code. This will only calm me down rather than cause panic. Constant feedback or ideas on how a particular thing can be done better or in a different way. A few water-cooler conversations. This helps me build connections and understand the person better. I need some time to gather my thoughts and explain them in a better way later. I enjoy the process of gathering data, learning, and iterating.
Things I struggle with
Working on something without understanding the WHY behind it. Too much logical reasoning sometimes drains my energy. An introvert by nature, so if you are going to stand above my shoulder while I am working, then I might stutter a lot. I am working on that. Being in a discussion that turns into a battle of opinions.
Things I am getting better at
Speeding up my workflow. Asking questions when I do not understand something. Providing better clarity to avoid getting into calls. Writing tests.
My learning goals for 2022
Improve my writing skills. I do feel that writing has helped me gather my thoughts and communicate better. Get better at networking and communicating with peers. Pick up soft skills. Pick up a hobby. Can go-karting be a hobby? I love car racing. Get better at writing SQL, as raw as possible.