Developer Spotlight: Nika Salamadze

A: I took my first course in programming in Grade 10, and knew I wanted to pursue a career in engineering from that point forward. I graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in Computer Engineering in April 2022. DevCycle is my first full time Engineering job, but I had multiple co-ops throughout university.
My first co-op was as an iOS developer for a startup called Marlena Books. After that, I was a Mobile Developer at an innovation hub for the Royal Canadian Air Force. My next co-op was as a Full Stack Developer for another start up called CharityCAN. I was then a Full Stack Engineer Intern for Harled, Inc, and lastly a Software Developer Intern for D2L before landing my full time role with DevCycle & Taplytics.Â
A: During my co-op with the innovation hub for the Air Force, I worked on a product that started out very small, and eventually had a ton of impact and reach. It was a flight planning product that was initially meant to be used by a few squadrons in one of the wings of the Air Force, but then it became mandated and is now being used by nearly all of the Air Force.Â
It was really cool to know that I was working on something so impactful as an intern – that doesn’t always happen in internships/co-ops!Â
A: DevCycle! Primarily because it allows me to release code with confidence. It gives me peace of mind knowing that I can disable entire code paths in production (without having to deploy a new build) in case there's a bug, a security vulnerability, or if users just don’t like a feature.
A: I work mostly with Javascript and Typescript, so that’s what I’m most familiar with right now. During my earlier programming days (back when I thought I was going to be a game developer) I probably would’ve said C++.
A: Don’t overthink it! Not every line of code you write will be perfect, so try to find a balance between being efficient and writing clean, easy to maintain, scalable software.Â
A: Social media, primarily Twitter and TikTok! TikTok is quickly becoming a resource hub for developers. One account that I’ve found particularly useful is Steve from Builder.io. @steve8708Â
A: There isn’t much I don’t like about being a developer, but if I had to pick something I’d say that it can get exhausting sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time. Especially when working remotely, since you’re by yourself and it’s easy to get caught up in a task and forget to take breaks.
A: Being able to actively solve problems is the most fun thing about it for me. We’re always facing new and interesting challenges in this role, so there is always something to motivate you to learn more and get better.Â
A: I mainly drink coffee for energy (I don’t really enjoy the taste of it) so my order is usually just a regular black coffee.Â
I use Spotify for all of my music. If I’m at the gym, I’ll listen to Rock, Punk, Alt. But when I’m working, I’ll listen to something that’s more low-key like HipHop, Pop, Folk, or Country. I don’t really stick to one genre–my music taste varies depending on what I’m doing.
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