Hayden Williams, Software Engineer at SquareKicker

From dreaming of becoming a palaeontologist to discovering coding at college, Hayden Williams, Software Engineer at SquareKicker has found a space that he loves.

We caught up with Hayden to learn more about a typical day in his role, what he loves about his craft, and why others might want to follow suit.

Thanks for sharing your story, Hayden.

How would you explain to a five-year-old what you do for work?

I code websites for the internet, making things looks cool.

And for the adults, what does a typical day-in-the-life look like?

Starting the day with a stand-up to get up to speed with the rest of the team; then having a quick coffee.

Afterwards, I get started and write some code, or investigate ways of solving problems/roadblocks with code I'm writing. Intertwined with that will often be catch-ups and meetings with some of the other devs in the office.

What did you dream of doing when you were young?

I always wanted to be a palaeontologist; it wasn't till much later that I got into coding at college.

What do you love about your job?

I love the role that I'm in because of the instant feedback and visuals that come with front-end development. The team that I work with is amazing and makes me love coming to work everyday. I think that if other like the more visual side of coding then front-end development is definitely recommended.

Tell us a little bit more about your career pathway and how you got into your current role?

I'm currently working in the front end, creating a dashboard in some cutting-edge javascript libraries and frameworks. It's more of a visual side of coding, where there's instant feedback on the screen when you create something. I got into this role due to enjoying front-end development more while I was studying.

Are there any key traits or characteristics of people that do well in software engineering?

A keen eye for detail and working in quite structured frameworks and projects go a long way. The ability to see a design visually and recreate that with code is pretty essential as well. The last thing that I think applies to most situations, but especially with development, is being able to work with a team, alongside others.