From a young age, Tony loved playing computer games and building computers, and his passion naturally translated into a career in software engineering.

Tony works as a Senior Software Developer for a software company in Cape Town. He gave us a sneak peek into his day-to-day life so we could learn more about his career in software development.

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“Games and computers were a passion for me from a young age,” Tony says. “I loved the idea of getting a computer to do amazing things just by writing some simple words.” Tony studied computer science in high school and university and did a lot of programming on his own as well. He says, “My passion naturally translated into real world programming and a job.”

Software engineers or developers are generally responsible for writing computer programmes used for running everything; from systems which allow computers to run properly to the latest software applications for mobile devices.

Their days are usually spent analysing clients’ needs and designing systems that will meet those needs. They may also recommend software upgrades to existing systems.

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Tony tells us how his programming skills have gained him experience in various industries, from telecoms, shipping and finance to sales. Running his own business and working as a consultant rounded out his experience, which includes Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing as well as Programming. Tony currently works at Jumo, a financial services software company in Cape Town.

“A career as a programmer offers a variety of career paths,” he says.

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We asked Tony what he loves most about his job, and this is what he had to say: “I love making things simpler for people; I think a lot of my job is about making peoples’ lives easier. 

“Sometimes this is by automating a tedious process they do every day and freeing them up to do the exciting parts of their job,” he explains.

For people who would like to know how to become software engineers, Tony suggests using the internet to kick off their programming skills. “There are so many resources online these days so pick a language and get going,” he advises. “The more you enjoy it the more you can do. Build up a portfolio of small applications that can automate your life or those of the people around you. Load it up into an online resource and make it open source, participate and ask questions on forums. This will give you a great repository to show your first potential employer.”

If you’d like to be featured in this Instagram series, send a mail to editor@careers24.com, telling us about yourself and your awesome job, and we’ll be in touch!