Pinkoi 2022 Open House for GenZ — 15 Mins Career Talk
Pinkoi Developers’ Night 2022 Year-End Gathering — 15-Minute Career Sharing Talk
Pinkoi Developers’ Night 2022 Year-End Gathering
Event Link: Linkedin
Main Audience: Students majoring in information-related fields at universities and colleges
Location and Time: 2022/12/01 7:00 PM — 9:00 PM
Sharing Duration: 15 mins
About Me
Currently serving as Pinkoi Platform (App) Engineer Lead and iOS Engineer. Previously worked at StreetVoice, Addcn Technology (OTC 5287), and a startup company. Started self-learning web programming since vocational high school, won the championship and was an alternate national player in the National Skills Competition for web design. Graduated from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology with a degree in Information Management. Transitioned to iOS app development in 2017.
Passionate about exploring and tech sharing, I also write about daily life and unboxing experiences. Feel free to follow my Medium Blog.
Pinkoi Engineer Daily — Product
Pinkoi’s product supports four platforms: desktop, mobile web, iOS, and Android, as well as six languages: Traditional Chinese, Hong Kong Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and English.
Behind the scenes, there are 8+ squads responsible for different areas, such as the Buyer Squad handling the buyer side, the Seller Squad handling the seller side, the Platform Squad managing the backend, the AI Squad focusing on algorithms, and so on, all working together to build the Pinkoi product.
Pinkoi Engineer Daily — Tools
Please note: This diagram does not represent the complete or latest Tech Stack.
To do a good job, one must first sharpen their tools. The above image lists the Tech Stack and tools used by the Pinkoi development team; it also includes cross-team collaboration tools like Slack, Asana, Figma, and others.
As the team size grows, there will be more instances requiring communication or repetitive tasks. Introducing tools and services at this time can effectively streamline connections between people and improve team efficiency.
A Day in the Life of a Pinkoi Engineer — The Unsung “Heroes” Behind the Scenes
At Pinkoi, although engineers are assigned to different Squad Teams, they still work together with one heart. Win as a team, we are all still one family.
A Day in the Life of a Pinkoi Engineer — The Unsung “Heroes” Behind the Scenes
Teammates with the same function (e.g., iOS/Android/BE/FE/Data…) not only hold regular technical sharing sessions but also perform code reviews and system design discussions in daily development; they discuss and grow together!
The “Obedient” tattoo sticker in the middle of the above picture is the team’s blessing ritual for the launch of the “Gift List” feature and the “2022 Pinkoi Design Fest” event, ensuring the service runs safely and steadily.
How Do Engineers Help Advance Business Goals?
Besides completing tasks, engineers have many other ways to help advance business goals:
First, setting aside the constraints of the Engineer role and starting from yourself; during the project planning phase, you can share your own life experiences and various creative ideas. For example, you might observe your friends’ usage habits or new trendy cool things (e.g., iOS 16 Dynamic Island). Through brainstorming, what was once an ordinary feature might become a brand-new highlight!
Back to the engineering itself, the first essential is solid development skills. Good development skills ensure scalability and stability, reduce technical debt, lower maintenance costs, and indirectly increase business value. Similarly, the right technology choices can maximize value within limited development resources. All of these require strong technical skills and accumulated experience.
In addition, leveraging communication and coordination skills can make cross-engineering discussions more efficient, and applying collaboration skills can reduce rework; both greatly increase team output and further advance business goals.
In summary, engineers definitely create value through more than just coding.
How Do Engineers Help Advance Business Goals?
At Pinkoi, squad team sync-ups or project meetings include not only engineers but also designers, PMs, and analysts who participate in project discussions together; everyone can share their ideas, sparking diverse insights.
As an Engineer, why choose to join a startup culture instead of a traditional large company…?
Personal experience: Startup culture (also at Pinkoi) has five characteristics:
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Transparency
Everyone can clearly understand the company’s operations, decisions, and future plans. -
Equality
Flat management with no hierarchical pressure
Everyone can express opinions and join discussions regardless of their position -
Vision
Grow with the team, from a small group to an international team, broadening your perspective.
Combine transparency and equality to understand more details from different aspects. -
Flexibility
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Work Flexibility:
There is a lot of flexibility in working hours, WFH arrangements, and communication/collaboration. -
Flexibility in the Role:
More flexibility to try different possibilities
More flexibility in promotion opportunities -
Active
The average age is relatively young and energetic, which makes it easier to resonate and spark ideas, as well as to promote and accept change.
These traits are rarely seen in traditional large companies. Traditional companies tend to be more closed and rigid, leaving little room for suggestions. The tasks you can see and do are also limited, and they are more resistant to trying new changes. This makes it harder for energetic newcomers to thrive.
Some Advice for Fresh Graduates Aspiring to Be Software Engineers…
Engineer at 28 vs. Engineer at 46 (Elon Musk was also once an engineer); although it’s a meme, the point is that what kind of engineer you become is up to you.
Some Advice for Fresh Graduates Who Want to Become Software Engineers…
Besides lean development skills, I believe mindset is even more important. Life is a journey with many stages and roles to fulfill. First, you need to constantly step out of your comfort zone and be ready to face greater challenges. For example, I started as a backend engineer, then switched to iOS development, and now I’m taking on management roles.
Second is exploring directions. Don’t limit yourself; everyone has unlimited potential. You can keep adjusting to find the direction that suits you and shine in your strong areas. Some teammates switched to engineering later or transitioned from designer to PM. Also, consider what role you want to have at 30 or 40 years old, such as continuing to deepen technical skills to become an architect/Tech Lead, or moving into management.
There is also lifelong learning—knowledge never ends. Especially in the IT industry, which changes rapidly, without seeking innovation and change, it’s easy to be left behind.
The last point is also very important: maintain a work-life balance. Work Hard, Play Hard not only boosts work efficiency but also allows you to draw inspiration from life experiences. As mentioned earlier, a small idea might change the world and create greater business value!
Advice for fresh graduates: choose your first few jobs carefully. The opportunity cost is low when you just start working; prioritize jobs where you can learn. Try to join companies that build their own products (e.g., Pinkoi / Line / StreetVoice…) and avoid changing jobs too frequently (stay at least one year). This will benefit your future career.
Life is still long; I hope everyone finds their own path. Thank you.
Join Pinkoi now »> https://www.pinkoi.com/about/careers
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