By Vasileios Orfanos, Year 12
Have you ever wondered where these square boxes on our phones we call apps come from? Since 2010, mobile and internet usage has gone up by a staggering seventy-five percent. As technology advances and apps offer a wider range of features, individuals like you and I prefer to use our spare time to gain entertainment from these amazing new tools. Whether you’re scrolling through your emails or surfing on Instagram, the influence of the online world has evidently grown. Studies have portrayed that the average phone user spends around three hours and fifteen minutes on their phones per day. Behind these complex yet entertaining applications are people like Stefanos, who study daily to create better user interfaces and enhance our daily experiences. Today, Stefanos will talk about his experience as a Software Engineer.
What made you take this path into software engineering, do you like the course subjects?
As most people out there, I never knew what I truly wanted to pursue in the future. As a kid, my dream job was to work as an athlete physiotherapist. Despite many changes in my life, my passion for Computer Science is what truly led me to start software engineering. The course is quite difficult and requires many skills such as mathematics and logical thinking. Having to work many hours, sometimes even tiredness plays a factor on how well you perform that day. Overall, I believe the subject has many ups and downs, but it’s definitely my passion.
What programming languages and technologies do you feel most comfortable with, and why?
For me, every coding language is different and needs to be learned like a real life language. My favourite coding language has got to be Python. This is mainly because it has more built in functions which makes my work quicker, allowing me to perform more complex tasks in a shorter amount of time. It’s also much cleaner and one of the most universal coding languages, allowing me to cooperate with friends when I have a problem with my work. My latest school projects all use Python and it’s really interactive.
How do you communicate complex technical concepts between your team and friends?
When we have long and complicated projects, we break down the tasks and everyone can work on different parts of the project. This is called decomposition, and it allows us to work whenever we are free, giving us time and space.
Where do you see yourself in the field of software engineering in the next 3-5 years?
Having just started my path through this journey, my main goal for the next few years is to improve and work hard to become the best I can possibly be. Additionally, I really want to work on new projects as an intern and gain valuable experience from companies around the world. My dream is to start my own firm and be able to develop websites which can change the world of mobile gaming.
Do you believe that AI will change the job of software engineers?
Personally, I think AI will play a huge role in software engineering in the future, but won’t be a factor that will end software engineering careers. Many people are aware that AI such as ChatGPT can code for you, giving programmers the ease of being able to copy code down. However, this doesn’t play a huge role in software engineering, mainly because being good at coding comes from creativity and uniqueness. Additionally, AI is not able to break every problem down, meaning that software engineers will still be vital in the future (which is good news for me).
Thank you very much for your time Stefanos, I hope your future work goes fantastically and that I’ll soon be using your apps in the future!
