What Do Software Engineers Really Do?

Software engineers are always thinking of possibilities. 

With about 9,000 software engineers at Honeywell, we are solving big, complex problems to help shape the future of industries. 

Meet some of them and see how they found their calling.

Shilpa Sainani Lulla, Director Engineering in Hyderabad

At Honeywell: Since 2021

What does a software engineer do? A software engineer uses knowledge of data, technology and engineering to create innovative solutions for business problems. There are broad spectrum of roles that engineers play – some code, some become a product manager or a program manager, some design and  architect, while some test, work with infrastructure or handle operations and Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) -  based on which aspect they enjoy the most.

How did you get interested in being a software engineer? My mom is an award-winning scientist and my dad was an engineer. Solving puzzles and discussing creative ways to solve problems was often our “fun family time” which got me interested in anything that requires me to think. As I got introduced to computers and technology – I enjoyed the combined aspects of creation and problem solving in the field. I became a software engineer because software is the closest thing to magic.

What do you work on? I lead the software development for Air Detective, which provides you with near real-time air quality analysis. We use advanced technology to sample holographic images of air samples and run them through machine learning models on the cloud which provide on-the-spot analysis of the airborne particles including specific types of spores, pollens and other allergen particles.

What’s the best part of being a software engineer? Best part of being a software engineer is that you are always using you analytical, coding and business skills to solve real world problems and make an impact. You will never stagnate or get bored – technology is always evolving and you are continuously learning and growing. Every day is a new day.

Torrance Mosely, Senior Release Train Engineer in Atlanta

At Honeywell: Since 2019

What does a software engineer do? A software engineer is one who identifies computational (software) solutions to resolve technical or business challenges. It's more than a coder or programmer as I see the software engineer is aware of the bigger problem and has to determine what software tools and skills will provide the optimal path to get from starting point A to the desired solution. 

How did you get interested in software engineering? I have always been motivated by the idea of solving a problem or bringing order to chaos. I studied chemical engineering in college at MIT, but gravitated toward the dynamic and complex challenges businesses were facing to be more productive and efficient. Software engineering presents the ideal way to resolve such enterprise challenges. 

What do you work on? I work to guide and coach multiple groups of software development teams, organized into value streams or "release trains",  through a scaled agile product development lifecycle process to bring our Honeywell Forge Workforce Productivity products to market.  These products include Honeywell Forge Inspection Rounds and Worker Assist that aim to fully digitize common manual processes of the industrial field worker. 

What’s the best part of software engineering? The best part is the ever-changing landscape of software components available. There is nothing static when it comes software engineering. Not to be cliché, but the only constant is change. I am personally driven by change and the continuous potential to do or make things better. The software engineering industry provides that energy to perpetually motivate provided one has the desire to continuously learn. 

Tina Webster, Senior DevOps Engineer in Atlanta

At Honeywell: Since 2019

What does a software engineer do? Software engineering is a computer science mechanism in which people use programs and programming languages to create user and computer-based programs.

How did you get interested in being a software engineer? Unlike a lot of people, I didn’t know that I wanted to be a software engineer. I had a mentor in college, who gave me the opportunity to intern as a research assistant on a big project. One of the projects lead developers needed some extra hands on coding an application so I started helping him and I never left software from that day forward.

What do you work on? In my current role, I am part of a team tasked with creating and standardizing infrastructure for our developers working across Honeywell. I am working on the application-hosting platform, which will give our developers a centralized location to host their applications.

What’s the best part of being a software engineer? It never gets boring. There is always something new that you can learn or create from the software skills that you have.

Dilip Saha, Senior Director Engineering in Bangalore

At Honeywell: Since 2021

What does a software engineer do? A software engineer uses a programming language and writes a code to execute a logical task. Before the Artificial Intelligence (AI) came into picture, the code was always static and produced a specific behavior as it was designed. With the Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, software is becoming more intelligent. It learns based on various data using different mathematical algorithm and produces intelligent output.

How did you get interested in being a software engineer? For me, software is a language to communicate with things. It helps to bring life in a product and creates exponential value. I wanted to become a software engineer to build products which can bring positive change in the world.

What do you work on? I am working on building products for Honeywell Forge connected industrial.

What’s the best part of being a software engineer? To create cool products which makes people productive and systems intelligent.

Erik Praekelt, Software Engineer in Adelaide, Australia

At Honeywell: Since 2021 (as part of Sine) 

What do software engineers do? Software engineers use and create technologies that make life easier and fun. We write code to solve potentially complex problems of all kinds, help humanity get better every single day and bring the stuff of sci-fi dreams to life! Everything starts as a dream, then software engineers figure out how to make it a reality.

How did you get interested in being a software engineer? I’ve always been passionate about technology. The world runs on it, thrives on it; it’s not going anywhere, and it’ll only become more prevalent. I want to be part of that, to help create and shape the future. I also like working with people. When you put such a group of motivated people together with a common goal, the technological advancement you can achieve is unlimited.

What do you work on? Recently I was the lead developer of a web app that facilitated 20,000 vaccinations in three days. Usually building such an app would take about a month, but my team built the app in four very busy days. This meant on-ground pre-screening times went down from an average of 12 minutes to about 30 seconds. To me, that's a testament of how Software Engineers can change the world for the better, and that it can be changed rapidly when needed.

What’s the best part of being a software engineer? It's like a never-ending complex puzzle that shapes the future, and I get to help build that. It's inspiring being at the forefront of technological advancement, to quite literally shape the next generation of digital products that the world will use to become a more connected, capable, efficient and prosperous society.

Jennifer Fan, Software Engineer in Adelaide, Australia

At Honeywell: Since 2021 (as part of Sine)

What does a software engineer do? Software engineering is a broad concept. We have colleagues who work on the frontend, backend, testing, DevOps and so on. We are all software engineers and we work together to reinforce the software development life cycle.

How did you get interested in being a software engineer? I have been interested in technology since I was young and I watched lots of TED Talks about technology. I like to spend every day dealing with various puzzles and solving problems. When programming is in trouble, I sit on a chair all day and deal with all sorts of strange troubles. My day-to -day tasks are focused on overcoming challenges, and not only will it be rewarded for completing projects, but I will feel proud and fulfilled to see its results marketed.

What do you work on? My daily tasks are under the practice of DevOps. DevOps is a development strategy that works to automate and integrate the processes between software development and IT operations. By turning my focus to DevOps, I get to understand the bigger picture more than how code works. I have to know networks, infrastructure, operations and so on.

What’s the best part of being a software engineer? I am able to solve some really interesting and challenging problems every day. Sometimes I feel time pass quickly on the day as I am very involved in what I am doing.