We hold to the radical notion that software developers should mostly be developing software. Not answering emails or messages, or attending pointless meetings.
We say less time on meta-work, more time on meaningful work, and we live by it. Our communication overhead is just heavy enough to get the job done, and no heavier. We regularly spend 7 hours (out of 8) a day programming.
We get more done, and somehow feel less exhausted.
For many companies, the life of a developer to a large extent involves putting out fires, patching buggy systems, and doing support. This doesn’t allow for a lot of time for developing.
This is a sure sign of technical debt, and just like financial debt, when you’re paying everything into interest, you don’t have much left to pay down the principal. That’s a bad scene.
The One Day In July Magic Factory has low technical debt, which means our software rarely breaks, and our developers spend more time working on meaningful projects. There are no late-night emergencies (so far) or multi-day scrambles.
How do we keep our technical debt so low, and our bugs so few? We are believers in, and users of, Test-Driven Development. Write the tests, then the code. We’ve been using it for over 5 years now, and we’ve found it pays for itself many times over.
Also, it’s really fun writing elegant tests – we’ve gotten into it.
There’s satisfaction to be found in staying with something for a while, and guiding it as it flourishes, always evolving into something more elegant. New problems emerge, as well as new ways to solve old problems.
We’ve been working on this system for over 5 years now, and it’s evolved from a simple Django website to a rather complex cosmos of applications running on a Kubernetes cluster. And we’re constantly evolving.
We make periodic passes over our codebases to fold in the latest and greatest, and as a result things are getting simpler and more elegant. (Again with the technical debt).
You might have noticed this, but many software developers are working for companies that don’t have a reliable moral compass. It’s a terrible feeling to lend one’s art in the service of something you don’t believe in.
Your Software Job doesn’t have to drain your spirit.
One Day In July is an ethical company, and the software we write goes to enable our employees to be stewards of savings for over 1,000 people, a number that grows daily. We write useful, meaningful code, and we sleep well at night.
There are places where you have to pretend you know everything all the time, where ignorance is to be avoided at all costs. Madness!
A huge part of the job of a software developer is to a) know you don’t know something, b) learn how to do that something and c) continue to deepen your understanding through experience. We are professional learners – every day we learn something new, either how to do something completely new or how to refine something we’ve done thousands of times. It’s part of what makes the job so great.
The One Day In July Magic Factory provides a supportive environment to learn and develop. We learn better together.
Visit roadmap.sh to get a sense of all there is to learn.
In a huge company, your individual voice doesn’t matter very much most of the time. Decisions are made many layers of hierarchy above.
The One Day In July Magic Factory is a small team, and your voice is essential. You’ve been hired for your expertise and we want you to help us co-create.
We think of it more like a rock band or a Dungeons and Dragons party. What are you bringing to the table?
The One Day In July tech team is referred to as the “The Magic Factory.” Seriously. The fact that this is true in a financial firm astounds and delights us. Our logo also delights us.
For all applicants, we will keep your application private, with exceptions discussed with you.
One Day In July LLC will consider qualified applicants without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
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