Hello, my name is Bradley, I’m a Graduate Software Engineer who stepped into the software engineering world with Hamilton Robson in July 2023. This blog intends to give you an overview of my first year with the company, so if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to transition from a student to a software engineer or curious about life at Hamilton Robson, have a look at my journey so far! 

After leaving school, I worked full-time, exploring my options. My passion for computers, whether it is gaming or crafting mischievous python scripts for friends led me back to education. At SERC, I completed an HND in Software Engineering, which fast-tracked me to the second year of my Computing Technologies degree which I successfully completed obtaining a 1st class honours. 

Onboarding 

During my first week I completed several onboarding workshops conducted by various team members. These sessions covered topics like Git, React, Testing, and Architecture. These workshops significantly enhanced my knowledge, which I’m now actively applying to my current projects. 

After gaining proficiency with these tools, I moved onto a group project. Alongside other graduate and placement engineers, we leveraged the technologies learned in the workshops to create an office game called Tunesday. Over the following two months, we collaborated closely, helping each other overcome challenges and resolve bugs, transforming the project into a successful team effort. 

Day to Day 

My first project that was live in production was the Game of Thrones studio tour app. This is a react native mobile application that is used at the Game of Thrones studio tour. The app uses bluetooth beacons to determine the location of users’ phones and identify their current section of the tour. I was responsible for increasing the accuracy of the indoor location, with the large and complex floor plan of the tour, in some cases we where not seeing the accuracy that we needed to deliver a good experience. This was great experience as it required me to be on site to be able to test beacons and Bluetooth range with the updated code I had written. 

The next project I worked on was JobMatcha, a recruitment company platform serving the construction sector. As part of this platform we have developed a number of micro-services, a native app and a number or web applications. When I joined this project, we were tasked with re-designing all application screens. When doing this work I got experience working with our in-house designer and got to worth with both React and React Native.

Another project I got to work on was Marvel, this is an audio content management system. I was tasked with creating an admin portal that allowed users to upload audio tracks that are stored in an S3 bucket. This was an exciting project as it was my first opportunity to build something from scratch that was going to be used by a customer. This web application was built with React and used AWS services such as CloudFront, which is a content delivery network used to get our application content distributed quickly and efficiently. 

The current project I am working on is called BeaconIQ – a global IOT solution which allows customers to monitor  meeting booths and privacy pods within their office space. We created a dashboard which allows customers to monitor the usage of their booths. Sensors placed in each booth report general meeting stats such as duration of meetings, start time / end time of meetings, number of meetings that have taken place in the last week for a booth and many more. 

The data recorded by these sensors are stored in a noSQL database, to be retrieved and displayed on the dashboard. The dashboard converts the data into digestible information for the user utilising several graphs, charts and tables. Some notable metrics we provide are office specific and floor specific heat maps which breakdown when booths are occupied on a weekly basis. Here is a sneak peek at the dashboard: 

This has been a great project to work on as it incorporates new and trending technologies such as Next.js which is a technology I had been keen to explore. This makes it very rewarding to work with technologies in a professional setting that I am passionate about in my personal time. 

Learnings 

Looking back over the course of a year, I wouldn’t have thought it was possible to learn as much as I have. During my first year, I had the opportunity to work on various projects, allowing me to learn a wide range of skills such as designing, building, and deploying applications. I have also gained experience with numerous technologies, including React, Next.js, TypeScript, Node.js, Docker and TailwindCSS. I have become proficient in using Git for version control which is a skill I feel students neglect that is key for bridging the gap from student to software engineer.  

I have gained hands-on experience using Cloud technologies, particularly AWS, over the past year. In all the projects I worked on, they have utilised various AWS services such as Lambda, S3, DynamoDB, RDS, Cloudfront, CloudWatch, Amplify and many more.  

Challenges 

Throughout my year at Hamilton Robson, I have faced many challenges that have pushed me to grow both professionally and personally. Adapting to new technologies and frameworks, managing tight project deadlines, and ensuring seamless team collaboration have all been demanding yet rewarding aspects of my journey. These experiences have strengthened my problem-solving skills and resilience.  

Final Thoughts 

I’m enjoying my time at Hamilton Robson and look forward to continuing to contribute to our various projects. The sense of achievement that comes with meeting project deadlines is incredibly rewarding, and I am excited to keep chasing that feeling as I grow and develop in my role. 

 I would have never thought I’d have a job that I would look forward to going into every day, a massive part of this is due to the team at Hamilton Robson who have been great mentors, supporters and friends.  

As I approach my second year at Hamilton Robson, I’m excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. I’m keen to deepen my expertise in the technologies I have been working with, particularly in cloud computing and IoT solutions. I’m also looking forward to taking on more challenging projects and offering mentorship to placement students and new graduates.  

If you enjoyed reading about my story at Hamilton Robson, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to hear more!