Back in 2017, Brian Harmon joined Cirdan as a Placement Software Engineer. Now, 5 years later, he is a full time Software Engineer with expertise in designing cloud based solutions and developing and implementing new features within a variety of our AI and Digital Pathology products. He is deeply passionate about coding and the work he does to provide innovative and first class software to healthcare professionals around the globe to improve patient diagnosis and treatment.
We recently caught up with Brian to find out more about his work within the PathXL team and to get a deeper insight into the life of a Software Engineer at Cirdan.
What activities does your job involve daily?
As a Software Developer at Cirdan my daily duties involve taking part in the software development lifecycle, designing cloud-based solutions, liaising with our senior cloud architects, and writing and reviewing code!
Day to day I work with code, each day I have the option to focus on a few different aspects within a project, from ticket creation and story design, to implementation and development of the required feature. What I love most about this is being able to work in a team with experts in, UX, Cloud solutions and Project Managers to achieve the best outcome for our customers.
I personally love to focus on Devops based solutions within the company, implementing automation where possible to create a faster feedback circle and help `shift errors left` using industry standard mechanisms like continuous Integration tools on Gitlab & Github, with the ultimate goal of ensuring our customers receive a product that has levels of quality implemented throughout development.
Since I started at Cirdan I had always been impressed and inspired by the level of quality and dedication, to those involved in the quality management systems (QMS) to create a product that was of a very high quality and can aid laboratory staff in speeding up the diagnosis of patients. One of the activities that I really enjoy about my job is getting to look at different quality standards and seeing how I can use that in my day to day work, because high levels of quality are very important to me.
What is your favourite thing about your job?
My favourite thing about my job is the fact that I get to work at a company that is named after a character from The Lord of the Rings! My second favourite thing about my job is the people I get to work alongside because they are brilliant. They all treat the task at hand as a team effort and everyone tries to help – and it is an amazing atmosphere to be a part of.
I began my career with Cirdan as a placement student before joining full time as a Software Developer. Cirdan has been a great at giving me the support, time and trust to develop my own skills. This is something I’ve found has cultivated a great appreciation for my colleagues in me.
My third favourite thing about my job is being able to spend time focusing on and following my passion (which is code). My job always gives me a very real sense of enjoyment. I love getting to work with so many great people from a diverse range of backgrounds.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
I spend my time outside of work with family and looking at other technology. I enjoy reading all types of books, from fictional books like “The Lord of The Rings” to other non-fiction books like “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek. More recently, I’ve started to take up hiking with friends, and it’s become a new love of mine.
What are you most passionate about?
I’m passionate about all things code. Solving a lot of complex problems is something I find extremely fun because I’m a big nerd at heart and I love it!
I also really love working on healthcare related software because, at the end of the day, it is rewarding to know that the software I am working on will help other people whether it is through speeding up their diagnosis or helping to improve the daily workflows of Health Staff in the front line and behind the scenes in labs so they can deliver the best standard of care to patients.
Thank you Brian, for sharing your story with us! We are thrilled to have you as part of the team at Cirdan!
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