Pinkoi Open House｜15-Min Career Talks for Gen Z Developers
Gen Z developers seeking career insights can access concise 15-minute talks at Pinkoi Open House, addressing career challenges with practical advice and networking opportunities to advance professional growth.
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Pinkoi 2022 Open House for GenZ — 15 Mins Career Talk
Pinkoi Developers’ Night 2022 Year-End Networking Event — 15-Minute Career Sharing Talk
Pinkoi Developers’ Night 2022 Year-End Meetup
Event link: Linkedin
Primary 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 (listed 5287), and a startup company. Self-taught web programming since vocational high school. Won the championship and was a backup national team member in the National Skills Competition for web design. Graduated from the Department of Information Management at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. Transitioned to iOS app development in 2017.
Passionate about exploration and tech sharing, I also write about daily life and unboxing experiences. Feel free to follow my Medium Blog.
Pinkoi Engineer Daily — Product
Pinkoi products support four platforms: desktop, mobile, 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 more than 8 squads responsible for different areas, such as the Buyer Squad handling the buyer side, the Seller Squad managing the seller side, the Platform Squad in charge of the infrastructure, the AI Squad focusing on algorithms, and so on, all working together to build the Pinkoi product.
Pinkoi Engineer Daily — Tools
Please note: This chart does not represent a complete or up-to-date Tech Stack.
To do a good job, one must first sharpen one’s tools. The above image lists Pinkoi’s development team’s tech stack and the tools and services they use. 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 can effectively ease human connections and boost team productivity.
Pinkoi Engineer Daily — The Behind-the-Scenes “Contributor”
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.
Pinkoi Engineer Daily — Behind-the-Scenes “Contributors”
Teammates with the same role (e.g., iOS/Android/BE/FE/Data…) not only hold regular technical exchange sessions but also conduct mutual code reviews and system design discussions during daily development. They discuss together and grow together!
The “Obedient” tattoo sticker in the middle of the above image is part of the team’s Gift List feature launch and the 2022 Pinkoi Design Fest event’s blessing ceremony, ensuring the service remains safe and stable.
How Can Engineers Help Advance Business Goals?
Besides completing tasks, engineers have many ways to help advance business goals:
First, set aside the constraints of the Engineer role and start from your own perspective; during project planning, you can share your personal experiences and creative ideas. For example, you might notice friends’ usage habits or new trendy cool features (e.g., iOS 16 Dynamic Island). By brainstorming together, a seemingly ordinary feature might turn into a brand-new highlight!
Next, returning to the engineering itself, the first essential is strong development skills. Good development skills ensure scalability and stability, reduce technical debt, lower future maintenance costs, and indirectly increase business value. Similarly, the right technology choices can maximize value with limited development resources. All of these require solid hard skills and accumulated experience.
Besides, 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 can definitely create value through more than just coding.
How Can Engineers Help Advance Business Goals?
At Pinkoi, the Squad Team’s sync-up or project meetings include not only engineers but also designers, PMs, and analysts, all participating in project discussions; 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: The startup culture (also on Pinkoi) has five characteristics:
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 participate in discussions regardless of positionVision
Grow alongside the team, from a small group to an international team, broadening perspectives
Combine transparency and equality to understand more detailed aspects from various angles- Flexibility
- Flexibility at work:
There is ample room for flexible discussions regarding working hours, WFH, and communication collaboration. - Flexibility in roles:
More opportunities to try different possibilities.
Greater flexibility in career advancement.
- Flexibility at work:
- Active
The average age is relatively young and energetic, making it easier to resonate, spark ideas, and drive or accept change.
These features were less common in traditional large companies, which tend to be more closed and rigid. There is little room for suggestions, limited tasks to see and do, and resistance to 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 once an engineer too); 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 Be Software Engineers…
Besides lean development skills, I believe mindset is even more important. Life is a journey with many stages and roles to fulfill. The first is 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 am beginning to take on management roles.
Second is exploring directions without limiting yourself. Everyone has unlimited potential and can continuously adjust to find the right path to shine in their strengths. Some of our teammates switched careers to engineering later or moved from designer to PM. You can also think about what role you want to be at 30 or 40, such as continuing to deepen technical skills to become an architect/Tech Lead or shifting to a management position.
There is also lifelong learning; knowledge has no limits. Especially in the IT industry, which is constantly changing, without seeking innovation and adaptation, it is 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!
It is recommended for fresh graduates to carefully choose their first few jobs. The opportunity cost is low when just starting out; prioritize finding a job where you can learn. Try to join companies that create their own products (e.g., Pinkoi, Line, StreetVoice…) and avoid changing positions too frequently (stay at least one year). This will greatly benefit your future career.
Life is still long, and I hope everyone finds their own path. Thank you.
Join Pinkoi now »> https://www.pinkoi.com/about/careers
Highlights
If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to contact me.
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