A day in the life of… Ed George (Senior Android Developer)
This ‘day in the life of’ series gives you an insight into what a typical day looks like for our people in Tech at ASOS (hint: there isn’t one) and how they started their careers. Hopefully, you take something inspirational away from it.
This one’s about Ed George, a Senior Android Developer who started in May this year (2021).
My alarm clock goes off…
…at 6:15am, or earlier if the dog decides it’s time for me to get up! An early start means I have time to get to the gym and have a quick workout before breakfast. It might not be for everyone but I do quite like plenty of time to get ready to start my day. That said, I am certainly not a morning person by any means!
I got the job…
I joined ASOS in May 2021 after applying online. Previously I had worked at a digital agency and a start-up, so moving to such a large company was an exciting prospect. I had always been aware of ASOS’ talent within the apps team from reading their tech-blog and seeing ASOSers at meet-ups, so I knew immediately it was somewhere I would fit in and a place where everyone shares my passion for mobile development.
The application progress…
The application process was fairly smooth and consisted of an initial interview with existing team members, a ‘take-home test’ and a final interview with other team members. Being in the middle of a pandemic, all of these were completed remotely.
The very first interview was with a principal engineer and was a casual chat about my past experiences, my strengths/weaknesses and what working for ASOS is like. There were a few technical questions, which mostly centred around my knowledge of the Android framework and the technologies used at ASOS. It was the first interview I had done in close to 7 years, yet the ASOS team put me at ease and made me feel incredibly relaxed.
The next stage was a take-home test in which I was asked to implement a small Android application based on a set of requirements and design wireframes. I used it as a chance to show off my technical knowledge and demonstrate the use of some of the technologies used within ASOS’ app. The team were very keen on me delivering something I was happy with, so there was no time pressure and a very laid back attitude throughout, which I appreciated!
Finally, there was the last stage in which I was interviewed by the lead engineer and questioned about my submitted test. This stage was again kept very casual and mostly involved me walking through my design decisions with the team and answering the questions they had.
All in all, the process was frictionless, and I was extremely excited to receive my offer at the end!
My typical day looks like…
The mobile apps team at ASOS are split into smaller sub-teams, so my day usually starts with a coffee and sub-team stand-up where we talk through our current work, status and any other business we need to raise. These will sometimes feature cameos from my dog, but most of the time be fairly straightforward and a good start to the day.
On an average day, I’d work on anything from new features, technical debt and bugs, to improving our CI pipeline or investigating upcoming Android features we might want to put into the app.
I usually spend some time discussing my work with other members of my sub-team and then crack on with the coding. We do also spend a lot of time at ASOS ensuring the code-base is in a state we as devs want it. This means writing tests, modularising code and refactoring is something I can be found doing most days.
One really great aspect of my role has been the fact that every day is different!
How is working for ASOS during COVID-19 going?
I was initially a little concerned that moving roles during a global pandemic might be a difficult transition, however, ASOS has handled it really well. Our ‘return to the office’ plan is well documented and they have been very transparent with their intentions in the long term, including more flexible working. However, in the here and now, the offices have been carefully configured to ensure everyone is safe. We have to book desks before going to the office and the management teams are incredibly careful to ensure staff members are comfortable.
My evenings have me…
Walking my dog! He’s a year old Pomeranian puppy and usually is full of beans by the time I finish work. We like to walk in the local park and meet the other dogs.
I’ve also been playing a lot of PS5 recently with most of my time being sucked into Call of Duty: Warzone. I am pretty rubbish, but still enjoy playing with my mates and having them carry me!
The best part of my job…
That’s a really tricky question because there are so many answers! The people, the product…the staff discount? There are so many aspects that have made working for ASOS great so far.
One standout for me would be ASOS’ commitment to helping us grow through their monthly ‘Tech Develops’ event. This is a day where we down tools and are allowed to do pretty much whatever we want to do, so long as it is used for learning and self-development. I’ve used this as an opportunity to explore aspects of Android that I haven’t looked at previously, which for me is fairly exciting (admittedly that might not be everyone’s idea of fun!)
Genuinely, working for ASOS so far has been a fantastic experience.
The worst part of my job…
I’ve spent a lot more on clothes since joining!
My top tip for people who want to work at ASOS…
Apply! We’re a good group of individuals but are even better as a team. If you love mobile development, fancy a chance to work on an app used by millions and want to make a difference from day 1, come join us! You will not regret it.
