Interview: Annika, software developer
Hello Annika, can you please briefly introduce yourself and your work?
My name is Annika, I first studied mathematics and then computer science at RWTH Aachen University. Immediately after graduating, I was looking for a job and became aware of SysTec through the BONDING job fair. In April 2019, I started in the system development department at SysTec. I mainly work on the maintenance and extensions of the interpreter software that is used for SysTec devices. In addition, I work on the development of own programs - and I am involved in the OPC UA standard for weighing technology.
How was your start at SysTec as software developer?
Since I started at SysTec right after graduating, it is clear that I was very curious about the requirements I would have to meet and how my colleagues would receive me. I was pleased to find that no one expected miracles from me. Instead, everyone was well aware that I would first have to familiarize myself with the job and the working environment. During the initial training I became not only familiar with the software for which I was supposed to be responsible, but also with the software that is maintained by my colleagues. This gives you a completely different insight not only into the work, but also into the appreciative interaction with colleagues.
What should applicants bring with them to be successful in your job?
Apart from the appropriate computer science knowledge and programming skills - in my case C++ and Linux, for instance - it is tremendously important in software development to be able to work independently as well as to talk and exchange ideas with colleagues. If something is unclear, it is helpful to ask your colleagues first. However, it is also extremely important to communicate with colleagues in terms of general contact and at work. In system development, the individual components work very closely together, so you are always in contact with the team to work out solutions. For the implementation of new features or the elimination of errors, there are always interesting conversations with the application development and our customers.
What strengths and what challenges do you see in software development at the moment?
When I started at SysTec, I had no experience in the field of weighing technology and in general had no clear imagination about it. Almost everyone has operated a kitchen scale at some point and can therefore imagine the basic functions. But what really goes into the SysTec weighing terminals for industrial scales is a completely different matter. These are used in many areas, which means that the software - both the application software and the system software - must always meet new requirements. This, of course, makes the work on the software very varied, since the requirements of the different customer segments have to be implemented here. However, care must also be taken to ensure that the implementation is tailored to the capabilities of the weighing terminals.
