Joining Street Group as a Junior Software Engineer
Luke, how has your journey at Street Group been so far?
I’ve been at Street Group for just over a year now, and it’s been a brilliant journey so far. I’ve learnt a lot, especially in terms of development and transitioning from a junior role to a mid-level one. Beyond the technical skills, I’ve also gained a lot of insight into the property industry (it was completely new to me!) and have developed a lot of soft skills too.
How does your previous role compare to working at Street Group?
My previous role was focused more on maintenance than growth and I was part of a much smaller development team too. Street Group is fast-paced, there’s always new tech to be working with, we’re building and pushing out new features and it’s just generally really exciting. Our teams here are cross-functional too, so there’s five Software Engineers, a Tech Lead, Product Owner and UX Designer in my team, currently.
How did your onboarding experience contribute to your integration into Street Group?
The onboarding process was efficient and well-structured. I was introduced to various team leads, had a demo of both Spectre and Street (our products), and interacted with different departments. I also had access to everything I needed throughout my first few weeks and the whole team was extremely helpful. This set a positive tone for my integration into the team and gave me an insight into Street Group’s values and standards.
Before I joined, I had catch-up video calls with members of my soon-to-be team, to allow me to ask any questions I had and get to know them on a more personal level ahead of joining, which was really nice and made me feel very comfortable!
How much collaboration and integration do you have with other teams on the business side?
Collaboration extends beyond the development team — we regularly engage with the customer support team during sprints, as well as interacting with the marketing and sales teams. This free flow of communication and collaboration between teams means we’re able to work more efficiently and are listening to what our customers want and need from Spectre.
Can you describe a typical day in the Spectre Dev team?
Our day starts with a stand-up at 9am, where we discuss our plans and address any issues or blockers. We may also have refinement sessions to plan and refine tickets. The majority of the day is spent working on tickets, coding, and creating pull requests. We also prioritise collaboration and communication within the team to ensure efficient progress.
What skills have you developed during your time at Street Group?
I’ve enhanced my development skills, delving into cloud computing, serverless architecture, Laravel, and front-end technologies. Soft skills, such as presentation skills have definitely also seen improvement, demoing what we’ve been working on to other teams across the business. Working with talented team members with specific skill sets is brilliant and it’s definitely contributed to both my technical and interpersonal skills development.
What has been your biggest achievement during your time at Street Group?
Whilst there have been many highlights, my promotion was a significant milestone for me — being promoted from a junior to mid-level engineer in less than 12 months was a huge achievement. The recent Spectre Campaigns launch was also up there, being part of launching a major feature and witnessing its positive reception was great!
What are your goals and aspirations for the coming year, and how do you see your role evolving?
My goal is to be more useful to the company, especially in assisting new team members as they join. As I continue to learn even more about the product and develop my skills as an engineer, my goal is to contribute to the growth and success of Spectre and Street Group as much as possible.
To find out more about life at Street Group, follow us on LinkedIn, see what our team are saying on Glassdoor, or visit our careers site.
