Meet Melvin, Developer of Platform Development Team
The interview with Melvin, Developer of Platform Development Team, begins now.
Q. Please tell us about yourself and your role in the team.
Hi, my name is Melvin, and I am a developer at Klaytn Platform Developer Team. I am mostly involved in managing the performance and stability of the blockchain platform Klaytn. During the first half of the year, I took part in the drafting of the proposal for the BOK pilot as a member of the CBDC Team. After our proposal got selected for the project, I started working on the actual development of CBDC.
Q. How did you join GroundX and what did you do before?
After graduating from college, I worked at a company called SAP to build a database for an ERP solution. After about 2 and a half years, I decided I wanted to study abroad, so I quit my job and got enrolled in a Master’s course. But it became clear just after one semester that research wasn’t really my thing. But at the time, I was auditing an undergraduate course where a venture capitalist introduced various startups and helped us come up with business ideas. That’s how I became interested in venture capital firms. I applied for some of them, did interviews, and even got accepted.
Since I wasn’t really familiar with the whole VC scene, I was kind of asking around for advice, and I happened to meet one of the founding members of GroundX. He offered me an interview knowing that I was a developer, which eventually led to me joining the company. What led me to this decision was how many people, including the VC lecturer himself, convinced me that “Venture Capital will be around, but blockchain is a one-time opportunity you have to seize in 2018.” Looking back, it was a very wise decision.
Q. Tell us what you are doing in the CBDC Team!
When we were drafting up the proposal, I did a lot of research on other countries’ cases. There being no clear guidelines and cases to refer to yet, each country is sort of left to its own devices to experiment with how they want their version of CBDC to be. So we provided some context regarding the current situation and created our narrative based on how we would approach our version of CBDC.
After GroundX was chosen as the preferred bidder, I did a lot of paperwork and also provided training for the BOK personnel. This is a government project, so it naturally involves a lot of paperwork. And the people from the BOK also requested training before the official kick-off. Now with the preparatory work mostly taken care of, I am now focusing on arranging the development items and the schedules for all the participants in the consortium, including GroundX, so that the project can succeed without a glitch.
Q. Did you face any difficulties while preparing for the CBDC project?
Everything was new and there was one challenge after another. I had never partaken in a government project or anything related during my time in my previous job, nor in graduate school, nor in GroundX. I felt lost because I didn’t know what we needed, and I wasn’t sure how to approach things. Towards the proposal submission deadline, I remember grumbling to our Team Lead Ethan about how we would do so much better if we started over.
As much as new things are difficult and challenging, they are also fun and rewarding. It gives you a chance to really immerse in it and to grow from it.
Q. What do you think is the one essential skill required when working at GroundX?
I would say communication.
Everyone has a different level of background knowledge as required by their tasks, so it’s important to make clear how much the other person knows about the issue at hand, and to communicate based on that. Since our job is based on blockchain technology, it entails a lot of new jargon or business concepts. We constantly have to make sure that we are on the same page, which requires effective communication skills.
Q. Is there a know-how for working effectively as a developer at GroundX?
I don’t know about working effectively, but I can share a personal tip regarding work. For a given issue, I always try to make thorough notes of all discussions I had with others. Human memory is not reliable, so creating notes helps you systematically handle the issue and look back on my past thoughts and approaches.
Q. What are some difficulties you face working as a developer at GroundX?
It’s virtually impossible to run tests on our mainnet Cypress. Cypress has a large amount of data, and the Consensus Nodes which run the network are dispersed all over different regions, so building a similar environment is also not feasible. But you can’t just do a test on a running network, so the most difficult thing is that you have to mock up a similar situation to test whenever a problem arises.
Q. How is GroundX different from your previous job in terms of the way people work?
In my previous job, my task was to simply implement what the architects had conceived. That way, I never had to think about what I had to do. And the designs were mainly reflections of what our major clients demanded. But at GroundX, you have to take the initiative for yourself and think about what you have to do. We don’t have any clear requirements from clients yet, so you have to pave your own way, in addition to performing given tasks.
Q. Is there a special developer team culture at GroundX? Could you describe the team atmosphere and what you like about it?
I was personally very fond of the Platform Team meetings. It was like a “war of all against all”. Everyone candidly expressed their views and wasn’t afraid to speak out when they disagreed with others. Those meetings weren’t for exchanging pleasantries, but for sharing your thoughts for dispassionate evaluation from each other without being embarrassed about criticisms. I think these meetings have been a great contribution to building the current mainnet.
Q. Tell us what you love about GroundX! What is your favorite company benefit?
I can say without hesitation, it’s the Kakao Community loan support!
I took advantage of it last year when I was moving into a new place.
I had found a decent loan, but our loan support offered slightly better rates. It was also nice that the only requirement was to set up a salary account.
Q. GroundX currently has its crews working from home. What are some pros and cons? How are you coping with any difficulties?
The nice thing is that I waste no time commuting. I don’t live that far from work, but it still takes time. So I like that it saves time.
But being someone that can work more productively in the office, working from home has been difficult for me. I realize that I am easily affected by my environment. So when the contract for my current home expires, which is pretty soon, I want to move to a new place where I can have a separate workspace.
Q. What was the most difficult, and rewarding moment working in your team?
The most difficult moment was before the launch of our mainnet. We thought the performance had reached a sufficient level, but it became clear that it couldn’t keep up with the influx of new accounts, which left us feeling helpless. So Rick from Klip Team and I tried out many different things to improve the performance, and it eventually worked out before the official launch. That was a very rewarding experience.
More recently, preparing the CBDC proposal was also pretty demanding. As I mentioned earlier, we felt like we were groping in the dark not knowing much about what was going on. I felt very uneasy even till the last moment. I gave it my all because I didn’t want to regret later not having done so. Luckily, the results were positive. I think it would have hit me pretty hard if it didn’t turn out successfully!
Q. What is the one thing that you want to achieve at GroundX?
I joined the company not knowing much about blockchain, with the hope that I would eventually become an expert. After 3 years, I do know more than I used to, but I still don’t feel like an expert in the field.
I am still learning, in the hopes of one day being able to teach a thing or two about blockchain to outsiders.
Q. What is your favorite service developed by GroundX?
My favorite service is Klip! I’ve used many different wallets, but from a user’s perspective, Klip is a very convenient wallet that is easy to use. I think Klip’s strength would stand out even more strikingly as more and more applications enter the market.
Q. What do you like to do in your free time?
I don’t have any special hobbies or anything, but I try to work out regularly whenever the time allows. The gym I go to gives you daily assignments, which take up to 2 hours to finish. It’s exhausting but I can feel my stamina building up, so I’m sticking to it. We had to work frequent overtime when drafting the CBDC proposal, but it wasn’t as strenuous as it could have been otherwise, thanks to all the working out.
Q. Is there a favorite place that you would recommend for our subscribers? Melvin’s pick!
Before shifting to remote work, I used to love going to Gilmok (길목) right behind Kyunggi High School. Samsung Station is one of those areas that have a lot of restaurants, none of which are particularly inviting. Since Gilmok is not that far from our office, I used to go there often with my colleagues. They have really nice pork and they also offer free corkage, so you can bring your own wine. It’s one of my most frequented places in 2019, but I haven’t eaten there since the pandemic. You have to put up with the waiting time, but it is definitely worth visiting. (Melvin’s tip: Do try the Ggeop-sal (껍살), which is the area between the pork butt and picnic!)
Q. Is there a website or an application that you like to use as a blockchain developer?
I’ve been looking up various information ever since I became interested in DeFi. I found a Discord channel called “Yield Farmer (이자농부)”, where they share lots of information. It’s useful for staying up to date with new projects and for asking questions since there are DeFi developers active there.
Q. This brings us to our last question. Any words of advice for potential teammates aspiring to work at GroundX?
Having developed a blockchain platform with my own hands after joining the team in 2018 was an experience that was not to be had elsewhere. What lies ahead in 2021 and 2022 in the blockchain industry, especially at GroundX, will also be an experience of unmatched uniqueness. I recommend GroundX for those of you that want to be involved in fast-paced technology and the market. Thank you!
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