Article summary
This past May, I passed the three-year mark of working as a software consultant here at Atomic Object (and as a professional developer). It made me think about the variety of work I’ve done. I figured it would be interesting to share some insights into what this job can be like.
Projects
I estimate I’ve worked on roughly 17 different projects, not including internal company work. I also left out a few where I chipped in a few hours here or there to help out teams on other projects I wasn’t actually a part of. This averages to nearly six projects a year, a number that actually surprises even me. After more thought, I’d say it’s closer to three or four major projects per year, with smaller engagements thrown into the gaps between the longer-term ones. Here’s a nice breakdown of hours per week, project by project, since I started here.
On this chart, each color represents a project I worked on (internal work excluded). Some of these projects are distinct on the chart, but occasionally they are follow-up engagements for the same client. As I mentioned, despite the high total number of projects, you can clearly see how there are basically three or four major sections per year (some messier months aside).
Personally, this has suited my interests nicely. I didn’t know exactly what type of work I wanted to do right out of school, so consulting was an attractive option for me. It allowed me to find out what I liked most.
Technologies
And just as varied as the list of projects I’ve worked on is the list of technologies I used on them. I don’t have an exhaustive list, but it includes React Native, embedded C, Angular, Ember, Spring Boot, Native iOS, PHP, GraphQL, .NET Core, Docker, AWS, Google Cloud Platform, RubyMotion (look that one up!), and so on. I’ve certainly learned a little bit about a lot of things, and occasionally a lot about a few things along the way.
This has mostly been an exercise for me to reminisce about the variety of work I’ve gotten to do while here at AO. However, I hope it doubles as an interesting window into life as a software consultant for anyone without much idea about what that’s like.