Aries Systems Corporation

Tell us a little about yourself – how long have you been working for Aries? What did you do before joining Aries?

I’ve been working at Aries since the fall of 2006, so almost 15 years now. Before joining Aries, I completed my Master’s at Tufts University while working various odd jobs including teaching assistant, coding for various university organizations, etc. I started out at Aries as a Software Engineer before being promoted to Team Lead.

How have your previous roles helped you in your current position?

As my current role involves advising team members on coding Editorial Manager (EM) and providing time estimates for work being considered, having an in-depth knowledge of the code has been pretty helpful.

How do you stay up-to-date with trends in your field?

I read plenty of Slashdot and other techie news sites/aggregators for trends within the software engineering community.

How do you collaborate with other departments within Aries?

Product Management frequently asks for my (and other Team Leads’) feedback on the feasibility and time complexity of proposed new features for our solutions. While developing new features, we’re in constant communication with Aries’ Product Management and Quality Engineering teams.

Tell me about your department and the people you work most closely with.

Aries’ Engineering department is a pretty friendly group. Many of us have been here for over a decade, so we’ve developed a sort of shared sense of humor and outlook – at least regarding the software development process!

Describe your typical workday.

It depends on the day. Some days include back-to-back meetings, other days are mostly coding, interspersed with code reviews, answering questions from PM/QE and giving architectural/procedural guidance to my team members.

What do you most enjoy about your job? What do you enjoy most about working for Aries?

One of my favorite parts of my job is trying to impart some of what I’ve learned over the years to up-and-coming Software Engineers. Sometimes, I even succeed.

What are you currently reading, listening to, or watching?

My older daughter and I are currently reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Tell me about some of your hobbies/interests outside of work.

Other than raising two daughters, I enjoy hiking (even better with my dog), biking, skiing, tabletop board gaming and writing AI for various games.