It’s been a busy few months at GCD HQ, we’ve been doing what we do best and working on some cracking custom software projects, which we can’t wait to share with you. In that time our team has also grown, we have four new team members joining us, Eoin and Molly are two of those and have joined, or rejoined in Molly’s case, as our newest Graduate Software Developers.
Our two other new recruits will join us in the coming weeks and we’ll catch up with them in a future blog post.
Let’s get to know Molly and Eoin a bit better.
Hi Eoin!
What is your background/history in software development?
I’ve recently graduated with a Masters in Computer Science from Queen’s University, Belfast and this is the path I’ve been set on since I was really young. My Dad is also a software developer and runs his own company; during my time at uni I helped him in my spare time, mainly developing full stack mobile projects. That provided me with some extremely valuable development experience and a great foundation for my career.
How has your first few weeks at GCD been?
Couldn’t have been better really! I’ve settled in really well and it almost feels like I’ve been here a lot longer than just a few weeks. I’ve been welcomed into the company with open arms and everyone has been really friendly and helpful. The remote environment works well but it’ll be great to see everyone back in the office soon.
What is your favourite part about being a developer?
I’ve always appreciated development from an artistic point of view. I love being able to create really exciting and interesting software that both looks great and does really cool things and I’m fascinated by how this comes as a result of just typing some characters on a keyboard. I also love developing things that real people get to use and enjoy.
What technology/language are you most excited to get working with?
I always love learning something new so I’m open to anything really – I’m really enjoying the work I’ve been doing so far with React/Typescript since I haven’t had any experience with them before, learning and using them has been fun. I’m mainly excited for the opportunity to work on new projects and produce some really exciting software.
What hobbies do you have?
My main passions are music and art. I love music from every extreme to everything in between. I play bass in an indie-pop band and I also create experimental ambient/sound art. When it comes to art I love minimalism and anything experimental/abstract really. I also love exploring the overlap between programming and music/art – recently I’ve experimented a lot with creating randomly generating soundscapes using code which I find really exciting.
Any interesting facts?
I have 5 younger brothers, own 5 guitars and have released 5 albums but none of those things are related.
Hi Molly, welcome back!
What is your background/history in software development?
I just graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelors degree in Computer Science and before that I completed a BTEC Extended Diploma in IT at Belfast Met. Before that my only experience was editing the html in my tumblr blog’s theme.
Why did you decide to return to GCD?
I really loved working at GCD on my placement year, I learned much more than uni had ever taught me and everyone here is so helpful and friendly. I also really enjoyed working on so many different projects, it’s fun to get to grips with different old and new technologies. However, the main reason for returning was that I couldn’t possibly leave without finishing our current GCD D&D campaign!
How has your first few weeks at GCD been?
It feels like the last year at uni never happened and I’m just continuing where I left off! On my first day I joined a team stand up meeting and we got stuck into sprint planning right after that. Since then, I’ve just been getting on with tasks and catching up with everyone again.
What does a typical day look like for you?
The day starts with my team (Managed Services) stand up meeting where we have catch up and let everyone know what we got up to the day before and what we are working on that day. After that I will generally get on with whatever tasks I’ve been assigned. I’ll also have calls or chats with different people throughout the day if I’m stuck on something or need someone’s opinion on a task.
What is your favourite part about being a developer?
Probably the fact that I am contributing to projects that are actually having an impact on people’s lives. Especially projects like Cash for Kids or Global Home Warranties that people rely on every day!
What technology/language are you most excited to get working with?
I’m excited to be working with Typescript as I didn’t get much of a chance to work with it before I left!
What hobbies do you have?
I bought roller skates after the first lockdown and have been hooked since! I’m hopefully going to try and join the Belfast roller derby team once they’re allowed to start practice again so that I can live out my own version of ‘Whip It’. In the last month I have also started learning how to crochet but the only successful thing I have made so far is a coaster, and it’s not even big enough to fit a mug on it.
Any interesting facts?
My favourite animal is a raccoon. I love them so much that, when I was visiting my cousins in Canada, they tried to help me see one in the wild by leaving out food but it never worked.
Welcome to the team Eoin and Molly!
