Sebastian Pazmay is Inter.link’s Tech Lead Product Development and in this article he explains what a typical day is like in his role, along with sharing some of the keys to success.
As Tech Lead Product Development, what does your day look like?
Well, I don’t get bored! Every day is different. One moment I may be discussing ideas for a new product or feature, the next reviewing code or helping solve a technical problem. The usuals are checking emails and threads, following the progress of ongoing projects, coding when needed, and quite a few calls. I really enjoy the variety because no two days look exactly the same.
What is your favourite part of being a Tech Lead Product Development?
I especially like the diversity of the role. Some days I’m coding or reviewing code, other days I’m organizing projects, discussing ideas with people, or learning something completely new. Working in interlink also means having the opportunity to contribute to many different areas, which keeps things interesting and allows me to continuously learn.
What advice would you give to someone entering product development in the network space?
One of the hardest things is finding the right balance between understanding the technical details and keeping the bigger picture in mind. If you’re too superficial, you’ll struggle to make good product decisions. If you go too deep, you can easily lose sight of priorities and timelines.
My advice would be to stay curious and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Product development sits right in the middle of technology, business and people, so learning how to navigate between them is just as important as the technical knowledge itself.
What is one thing that has changed since you started working in networking/connectivity?
One thing I really like is how much the industry is starting to embrace automation. Things that used to take days or involve many manual steps can now be provisioned and deployed much faster and more reliably. Networking is becoming more software driven every year, which opens up a lot of possibilities for building better products and improving the customer experience.
What is one thing most people don’t know about being a Tech Lead Product Development?
Well, people usually think we do not work at all. One day they may actually be right! Fortunately for now, there’s always plenty to do.
I think one thing most people don’t realize is how much ambiguity there is in the role. Quite often, things don’t start with a detailed specification or a well defined task or product. They start with an idea, a problem, or a conversation.
A big part of my job is helping turn those ideas into something concrete by understanding the proposal, asking questions and defining what should actually be built and why. It’s a lot less “someone gave me a task” and a lot more “let’s figure out what the task actually is”.
