An Interview with CouponBirds Senior Software Engineer – Eric Zhang

1. Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to yourself and your role at CouponBirds?

Hi, my name is Eric Zhang. I’m a software engineer from CouponBirds, currently concentrating on improving our site’s performance and user interface experience.

There were circumstances when I found the field and work difficult, but the more I was trapped, the more I was motivated to figure it out. In the process of solving these problems and growing my experience, I have been filled with admiration for the wisdom of the past and the profoundness of computer science. I feel that computers and engineering are gonna be my lifelong partner. After work, I usually look through interesting stuff about computers on the Internet like creative algorithms and minigames. I also go sightseeing and spend some time on mobile games which could cheer me up.

2. What inspired you to be a software engineer?

The infinite possibilities of programming. Programming is such a beautiful thing because of its infinite possibilities. You can do almost anything with thoughts and well-trained skills. For example, a software engineer can achieve any effects you want in a page, including the layout of the webpage, which means how you arrange your page like shape, size, the color of a button; how a web page skips to another page, or another website, etc. Except that, I am also responsible for data processing and data updating to make sure that the contents are refreshed from time to time.

3. What has been your biggest challenge so far as a software engineer and how did you overcome it?

I think the biggest challenge so far is that new stuff is coming out every day in this field. You have to get used to this fact. The only way to avoid being left behind is to study.

We did a lot of work in optimizing coupon data quality and improving user retention. And we hope those who have found coupons on CouponBirds are willing to share the platform with friends and family, so more people could get chances to save. Their feedback and approbation are our impetus to higher achievements.

4. What have you learned as a software engineer at CouponBirds in the past years?

Teamwork is a great lesson I learned at CouponBirds in the past years. Teamwork is inevitable when working in a group like CouponBirds. It requires efficient communication, quick response, detailed documents, and so on. A detailed document is the most important one. It offers the opportunity to look backward and fix it when it hits a problem.

5. What has been the greatest achievement of your work at CouponBirds so far?

User interface improvement. That’s one of the most important things I have done at CouponBirds, and I have done it pretty well. It really takes a lot of time to figure out how your users think and what exactly they want. Through constant testing and updating, we can finally know which version is the users’ favorite. During the process, we have the experience of users’ behavior, searching preferences, and so on.

6. What is(are) the best book(s) related to coding that you’ve ever read?

The Beauty of Mathematics in Computer Science. This book is very impressive. It explains many mathematical concepts and theories and shows the way to use them in computer science.

7. In your opinion, what qualities should a software engineer possess?

• The Ability to Self-Manage. We must be focused, self-directed, and good at management. When facing so much work, we should have to manage our time and don’t behave in a mess. Consider which work has to be done first and which the second then. Give the work to be done a level, or we can say priority. This will help us finish the work systematically.
• Curiosity & Love of Learning. Because we try to find the best tool for every situation, developers are fast learners who can quickly ramp into a new toolset or language. You might move from developing a web app in Ruby to creating an internal application in NET to building a mobile app in Objective-C or Java.
• Strong Communication Skills. As consultants on small teams, we work very closely with clients and users — learning, exploring, teaching, problem-solving, calming fears, discussing budgets, and making smart compromises. That’s a whole lot of talking and writing, which means we must be clear, transparent communicators who can understand their audience, give them the right level of detail, and help them make smart, informed decisions.

8. What advice would you give for college students who want to be a software engineer?

Stay foolish and keep the enthusiasm for learning. Only when you practice, you can realize if you have really acquired new knowledge. You can also learn in working as there are practical data and requirements in projects. Solving data-related problems allows you to improve yourself at a rapid speed. Last but not least, I believe that math is the basic knowledge and skills for this job. So, do spend some time on mathematics.