We put together a few questions for our colleagues and received a variety of answers. Have fun reading!
"AI is already helping me with small, isolated problems or generating test data, for example."
When I look at the drafts or changelogs of languages and frameworks and see the benefits of the new possibilities. It also makes me happy to see well-written code from other developers and also from my apprentices.
Relatively little, because I neither shy away from elaborate refactorings nor do profound breaking changes give me a headache. I also like to explain the same things to my trainees again and again if I have to. The regular keeping of the time sheet is still the most annoying thing for me.
Turn on my computer, get coffee, open the window, check PRs, check mails/Teams, start the backend, start the frontend.
Assistance by AI. Even if complex problems and requirements within the business logic of a project cannot yet be solved satisfactorily by AI, it already helps me with small, isolated problems or when generating test data. AI also supports me in training new techniques which need to be learned.
"It happens very often just when you are doing something else, like showering, eating, cooking or whatever, that you suddenly unexpectedly have an idea how to solve some kind of problem."
When, after three hours of headaches, you reach that one point where suddenly everything makes sense. Or when I've had too much caffeine.
Pointless automated tests that are just "expect(true).toBe(true);" with extra steps. For all non-developers: this is like testing every day whether gravity still exists.
I don't know if you can call it a tick, but it happens very often that you are doing something else, like taking a shower, eating, cooking or whatever, and suddenly you have an unexpected idea how to solve some problem that you couldn't solve before.
A full desk on which only 50% of the things are necessary to work.
Put most simply: websites and app interfaces. Alternatively, you could say that we are responsible for constructing the interface between humans and machines. We help people to communicate with machines.
"There are new technologies, threats and opportunities every day - you really have to be on top of your game."
(ISO stands for Information Security Officer)
You need a high level of technical understanding, a quick grasp of things and a lot of patience. Due to the increased complexity of the systems and high demands on IT security, the support and operation of networks, servers and laptops has become incredibly time-consuming. Errors and problems, especially in linked systems, can only be found and rectified with a deep understanding of the technology used, the protocols and the internal processes. The quicker the better - after all, I want my colleagues to be able to work smoothly and unhindered. When things do become more difficult, a lot of patience and perseverance is required - you have to be able to get stuck into things without losing sight of the essentials.
Further training, good monitoring and coffee. Without constant further training, it's easy to lose touch in the fast-moving IT sector. I can only be so good and do my job properly if I know what's going on outside and where the pulse of the IT world is. There are new technologies, threats and opportunities every day - you simply have to be on your toes. I also need a good foundation to be able to make decisions and act correctly rather than react, and good system monitoring helps me to do this. Whether it's servers, infrastructure or work computers: I have everything at a glance. And then there are always those days when I have to work at night, so a nice, hot cup of coffee helps (even the morning after, by the way 😉).
I monitor our servers and networks to make sure they are running smoothly, fix problems and update their operating systems and software when necessary. In the office, I try to ensure that all my colleagues have as trouble-free a working day as possible by setting up their laptops and access points, assigning authorizations and trying to resolve any problems as quickly as possible. However, security is always a major focus for me. I check our servers and network to see if there is any suspicious activity, find out about new threats and attacks, educate myself and think about what measures we can take to improve our IT security. If there is still time left over, I try to improve many things in the background, replace old systems and develop new strategies so that we as a company are well positioned for the future.