Today’s all about celebrating and appreciating the hard work and massive role that programmers of all shapes and sizes play in creating bigger and better businesses, services and products. Because of programmers, people with additional needs can navigate the world in a more accessible way; life is becoming more and more convenient because of things like voice assistants, smart speakers and automated processes in the systems we use.

But just what does it mean to be a programmer, and what’s it like to work as a programmer in the adtech industry? Are you curious about a career in programming but aren’t sure what role might be of interest? Keep on reading for an insight into some roles in the world of programming, and for first-hand accounts of what it’s like to be a programmer for a dynamic audio adtech startup!

Programming 101: What’s in a Name?

Web Developers specialise in creating and maintaining websites. They can specialise as front-end or back-end developers, or be more of a full-stack generalist. Full-Stack Developers work on both the user-facing and non user-facing parts of a website. Front-End Developers build the user-facing part of websites and making sites look good and perform well whereas Back-End Developers work on the parts of the website that users don’t have access to, also focusing on server-side functionality and performance (i.e. ensuring sites can manage, retrieve and data, as well as cope with demand).

User Experience and Front-End Coding

Many programmers start out in entry-level front-end developing roles, and our very own Oliwia Bukała, UX Specialist, is an example of this! When asked about her journey into a tech career, Oliwia shared:

“When I first joined the team, I didn’t know what direction I would like to take my career. The company gave me an incredible opportunity to transition my career into tech as a UX Specialist. I can see that AdTonos gives the same opportunities to everyone, no matter who you are, and my team will make space for everyone to develop themselves. It’s really comforting to be part of such a wonderful Team!”

Software Developing

As the name suggests, Software Application Developers design, test, and troubleshoot software and apps to fulfil a particular task for users. Fun fact – did you know that demand for app developers will see a 22% boost by 2030? This can be another option for an entry-level role into the wonderful world of adtech.

For example, AdTonos’ Michał Szramka is starting his career in adtech as a Support Specialist as a stepping stone to refine his software developing skills.

“I was hired as a programmer last January; since April I have been supporting mostly with onboarding tech assistance. From December or January 2023, I will begin coding more, but for now, I can definitely say that AdTonos has been extremely supportive in helping me reach my goal of becoming a good software developer.”

Another one of our fantastic Software Developers, Michał Siemienowicz adds:

“The biggest points of satisfaction for me in my job is the positive feedback I receive from the people in my team. It’s really reassuring and just confirms that what I do and how I try to build the team really works; it’s always such a great boost!”

“My proudest achievement on the job so far is honestly having the courage to take my first step towards building a career in the intricate world of Adtech. I’ve also enjoyed building a small but really close-knit team that is not afraid to talk openly about problems.”

When asked for some insight on how his team works together, Michał explained that:

“Whenever I need it I get help but I think the biggest support is trust and being able to make decisions – I find this to be a massive show of respect. I try to repay this respect and helpfulness by listening to the team, to always be of help, to motivate myself and them as much as I can… It’s also great that we are a team that knows that when it’s time to play we play and when it’s time to work we work!”

In terms of the highlights of being a Software Developer at AdTonos, Radosław Malec shared:

“I find my job exhilarating, especially when I am faced with yet another challenge – which does happen most of the time! Fortunately, there are teammates around me who will happily help me whenever I encounter these challenges. They support me in my neck-twisting attempts to write code by giving pointers and reviewing it for greater quality in the final product.”

“What I love the most about working here is that I learn more day by day, and even though I have seen certain things countless times, I may still gain deeper insights by discussing ideas with others. The abstract lookup caching mechanism I developed to reduce the stress on our databases and enhance platform performance is my finest invention to date!”

Read Part 2 of our Programmers Day Special

Liked what you read so far? Don’t miss part 2 of our Programmers Day special on our blog, where we’ll spotlight Back-End Programming and other roles in R&D! You can also find out more about Adtonos’ approach to supporting junior developers in our CTO Thought Leadership blog series.