A few months ago, we introduced you to our Arcules Superhero Series featuring our very own Director of Human Resources, Stephanie Hammerwold (who actually HIRES our superheroes). This series is designed to highlight the stories and insights straight from our team about what it means to build our technology, manage the day-to-day demands of a busy start-up, provide ongoing guidance and direction, and more.
Meet Quan Le, Software Engineer at Arcules.
At Arcules, we know that working as a team is integral to our success, along the lines of (however cliche): “Teamwork makes the dream work.” In the world of high-tech start-ups, this mantra rings true as so many people come together behind the scenes to deliver the level of development needed to make the Arcules Integrated Cloud Security service work.
How would you describe your role at Arcules? What are you responsible for?
My team is responsible for any permissions-related issues. Why can’t the user log in? Can the user read and write certain information? How do we allow users to access certain features of the product? If there are ever any issues with permissions then it comes to my team, but I work on a little bit of everything. At Arcules, you’re not just confined to the main “purpose” of your team. If I see a problem with our analytics or video player, I can tackle the issue myself instead of having to go through a rigid chain of command. Having a more fluid role allows all of our engineers to get their work done faster but also find what interests them.
How do you use things like design thinking in your day-to-day/week-to-week work life?
When customers provide feedback, it’s up to everyone to make a decision, not just managers. Is this solution possible? What’s the priority for this issue? Does it need to be done right now or can it be scheduled for later on the roadmap? How many engineering hours does it require? Simple requests like adding another button to a page can sometimes require a lot of design thinking as to whether it’s feasible or how many engineering hours it can take. If it takes 15 minutes to fix, no problem. If the project takes longer than that (like a month), maybe we should dedicate our engineering hours elsewhere for now.
What kinds of projects are you involved in on a daily/weekly basis?
The one constant is that we do weekly releases, but it’s not just a job for Site Reliability Engineer and Quality Assurance. Everyone is responsible for helping and maintaining the CI/CD process for our releases. Like I mentioned before, the teams aren’t rigid and restrained to just their parameters. One day, I can be working on bug fixes. Another day, I can be working on a new, major feature. It’s hard to simplify my daily or weekly schedule because every day and every week is different here. It constantly brings new challenges, eliminates any boring monotony, and keeps you on your toes!
What are your areas of expertise?
I started out specializing more on the frontend. At Arcules, however, I was given the opportunity to expand my knowledge and dive more into backend and API development. Arcules also encourages everyone to ask questions about the architecture, the CI/CD process, and all aspects of the product. I came in knowing almost only frontend, but my skills have become more well-rounded because everyone here is so friendly and helpful.
What is your favorite project that you’ve worked on while you’ve been a part of the Arcules team? Why was the project your favorite?
The most recent project to add and implement the Floor Plan feature in the Arcules portal was the most rewarding. Not only was it a new feature instead of a bug fix, it truly was a full-stack experience. When you do bug fixes or feature updates, you sometimes feel isolated to just one part of the code. You don’t necessarily see the mechanics that are all happening at the same time. With the Floor Plan View feature, I had the opportunity to develop new endpoints, connect it to the front end, and witness how it all ties together with our architecture. It’s extremely satisfying to develop a new feature from start to finish, learn how the process works, and see how your frontend and backend talk to each other.
And now for some more of the “fun” questions…
What is one thing that your co-workers might not know about you?
I finished my climbing projects! In climbing, a project is a route you’re trying to climb without any takes (sitting and resting on the rope). It’s usually a climb that is at/close to your maximum effort. I’ve been training since the start of quarantine to finish some outdoor climbing projects and so far finished three of them! Many more climbing projects to come, but I’m excited to continue ticking them off one by one!
Have you taken up a hobby while in quarantine? If so, tell us a little about it.
I got open water certified for scuba diving! July to September is when you can scuba dive and snowboard in the southern hemisphere. My goal for 2021 (or when quarantine is lifted) is to do an Australia/New Zealand trip: one week diving the Great Barrier Reef and the next week go snowboarding in New Zealand!
If you’re interested in joining our team, check out our openings.
