A software engineer is responsible for developing and maintaining software applications. They work with a variety of programming languages and tools to create, test and deploy software solutions. But is it the same when you are working remotely? What does a typical day for a remote software engineer involve?

Working remotely has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the flexibility it offers. Remote employees are not tied to one location, which means they can work from anywhere in the world. This can be a great perk for those who want to travel or live in different parts of the world.

However, working remotely also comes with its challenges. One of the biggest challenges of a remote hire is maintaining communication with your team, especially if you are a software engineer. When you’re not in the same office, it can be difficult to stay on top of what’s going on. You also miss out on the casual water cooler conversations and impromptu meetings that can help generate new ideas.

On that note, the following will outline a typical day in the life of a remote software engineer.

Checking emails and reviewing the project management tool

The first thing a remote software engineer does is check their email and project management tool to see what tasks need to be completed for the day. They then start working on coding solutions for these tasks. If they get stuck, they reach out to their team via chat or video call to ask for help. For example, they might ask a question about how to best approach a problem or get clarification on a requirement.

Communicating with clients or team members via video conferencing or chat to discuss project requirements

Since they are not in the same office, a remote hire software engineer needs to be especially good at communication. This involves regular check-ins with clients or team members via video conferencing or chats to discuss project requirements. It’s important to keep everyone updated on your progress and get clarification when needed.

For instance, you might have a daily stand-up meeting with your team where everyone gives an update on what they worked on the day before and what they plan to work on today. This is a great way to stay aligned and ensure that everyone is on the same page.

In addition, a remote hire might also need to communicate with clients directly to gather requirements or demo the software you’ve built for them. This requires excellent presentation skills and the ability to explain complex technical concepts in layman’s terms.

Writing code to implement new features or fix bugs in existing software applications

Once the requirements have been gathered, it’s time to start coding. This involves writing code to implement new features or fix bugs in existing software applications. It’s important to write clean and readable code that is easy to maintain.

If you’re working on a team, you might need to collaborate with other engineers via chat or video call to discuss the best way to approach a problem. Once the developer finishes writing the code, the testing team will need to be test it before deploying it.

A remote software engineer typically uses a variety of tools and programming languages, so they need to be proficient in many different technologies. Some common tools and languages used by software engineers daily include:

  • Git: A distributed version control system that helps track changes in code
  • JIRA: A project management tool used to track bugs and new features
  • Slack: A chat application used for communication within teams
  • Java: A popular programming language used for developing enterprise applications

Once you have written and tested the code, you can get to deployment. This process can vary depending on the company’s workflow, but it typically involves sending a pull request to a central repository where it will be reviewed by another engineer. If everything looks good, the development team will merge the code into the main branch and deploy it to production.

Running tests to ensure that new code meets the required standards

After the code has been deployed, it’s important to run tests to ensure that it meets the required standards. This process is known as quality assurance (QA). QA engineers will test the software to find any bugs or issues. If they find any problems, they will report them back to the development team so they can be fixed.

Once you fix all the bugs, and the software is working as expected, it is time to release the solution for the users. This is an exciting moment for software engineers as they get to see their hard work being useful to real people.

Deploying software updates or changes to production servers

As developers continue to add new features and fix bugs, they will need to deploy software updates to production servers. This process can vary depending on the company’s workflow, but it typically involves sending a pull request to a central repository where it will be reviewed by another engineer. If everything looks good, the code merges into the main branch, followed by deploying to production.

Monitoring systems and responding to any issues that may arise

After code deployment, it’s important to monitor systems and respond to any issues that may arise. This process is known as incident response. If you find any issue, it’s important to triage the problem and determine its severity. Once you identify the issue, you need to start fixing it as soon as possible to avoid any further impact on users.

In some cases, you might need to work with other teams such as operations or customer support to help resolve the issue. This requires excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Incident response is a critical part of a software engineer’s job as it ensures that systems are running smoothly and that no problems or glitches can impact user experience. 

Conclusion

A remote software engineer typically works on a variety of projects and is responsible for many different tasks. They need to have a strong understanding of computer science concepts and be proficient in multiple programming languages. They also need to be able to work well in a team and have excellent communication skills.

Working as a remote software engineer can be a very rewarding experience. It’s a great way to use your technical skills to solve problems and make a difference in the world. If you’re looking for an exciting and challenging career, then software engineering might be the perfect fit for you!