What's your job about?
FieldEx is a company which provides a Field Service Management Software as a Service, which is the behind-the-scenes system that keeps field service people organized and efficient, working much like a GPS and scheduling app all in one. I work under the product team, working closely with and assisting our project manager to turn ideas into reality, designing and building our product from concept to production.
Most of my tasks involve documentation to some extent. Most recently, I have been working on documenting the APIs which are used within FieldEx. This is like providing an instruction manual for programmers, explaining how to interact with a specific API. This is done by outlining the functionality of the API, how to use it, and providing the kind of response to expect. Besides that, I have also recently worked on a project that aimed to revamp the UI/UX of the FieldEx web application. My main role during this project was to go through some modules which were assigned to me and document UI/UX related bugs, listing down the icons used within the pages and marking those that need to be changed, as well as suggesting improvements wherever possible.
What's your background?
I grew up in Taman Putra Perdana, a suburb in the outskirts of Puchong bordering the edge of Cyberjaya, oftentimes I would spend most of my holidays in Melaka with my grandparents and would consider it to be my second home. I have been interested in technology since I was a little kid, always trying to use my Aunt’s desktop computer whenever I had the chance or helping my grandfather set up his turntable and speakers for a music listening session. I attended SKTPP, a nearby primary school which was barely 200 meters away from my house and later on went to SMKC, a secondary school in Cyberjaya. During my time there I was given the opportunity to represent the school in robotics and AEV(Amphibious Electric Vehicle) Competitions, even representing the state and achieving a top 10 finish for the AEV Competition when I was 14.
Upon completing my secondary school studies, with some guidance from my uncle, I decided to continue my studies in Multimedia University Cyberjaya. There, I got my degree in Computer Science with specialization in Software Engineering. Since completing secondary school and through most of my degree, I worked as a part-time teacher at the Kumon Center in my neighborhood teaching English and Mathematics. I began working at FieldEx as an intern since August of 2023 and have been assisting multiple different departments, from QA, security, and product teams whenever needed.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
It might be challenging, but it is possible for someone from a different background to become a product engineer. It will be useful to brush up your technical knowledge and skills through online courses or bootcamps to teach you basic programming concepts, software development fundamentals and the use of relevant tools. Some transferable skills which are crucial for product engineering include strong analytical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and being good at communicating. One big piece of advice that I can give is to connect and learn from others in the field and to always be in the mindset of learning.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
One thing that I love most about my job is that I constantly get the opportunity to learn and work on new things. I get to work on new challenges and projects which allow me to expand my skill set while also solving real world problems. One of the tasks that I really enjoyed was assisting in the UI/UX revamp project. From documenting issues found to seeing the changes being made. It gave me a sense of accomplishment seeing the product look much cleaner at the end of the project.
What are the limitations of your job?
As a product engineer you will be wearing many hats and juggling various tasks throughout the development cycle. This may be overwhelming if you’re unable to manage your time effectively. Adding onto that, you need to be adaptable to handle possible changes in priorities or unexpected challenges. This job also relies heavily on teamwork and strong communication skills, since success hinges on effective collaboration with designers and developers. While this may be a limitation to some, others might view it as a welcome challenge and opportunity for growth. This might be a potential job for you if this describes you
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
If I were to meet myself in university, three pieces of advice that I would give myself would be to: