This series will introduce you to a member of team Exacta every month, so you can meet the dedicated hardworking team that has made Exacta what it is today. Our thirtieth instalment of the series introduces you to Io. Io began working at Exacta in November 2023, as a Junior Software Developer. This means that they are a part of the internal development team. The team works to produce comprehensive software documentation, develop updates and enhancements, and address any software issues.
How long have you been at Exacta and tell us about your job role?
I’ve been at Exacta since last November and I’m a Junior software engineer. I’m on the Internal Development team, so we work together to look for easier ways of setting up systems by creating data analysis, or alternation tools, to help understand how things are operating and how they can be operating better.
What do you enjoy most about working at Exacta?
I’ve enjoyed the amount of time I’ve had to get familiar with tools and languages that I didn’t otherwise get much time to work on with my degree. I now have structured time to practice certain skills, and I find that very beneficial. Plus, everyone here is really lovely.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Admittedly, I’m still quite involved with the student drama society events and activities. This summer I went to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with my friends, but other than that, I’ve been trying to get into developing games. I spend a lot of lunchtimes working on that and go from one kind of coding straight into another. I think the work I’ve done here has helped me with the work for my games, it’s made me think more about the code I write.
What advice would you give to younger generations who aspire to work in the STEM industry/want the same job role as you?
You can of course follow the route of studying maths and computer science in college and that sort of thing, however a lot of what I know, I’ve actually learned from YouTube tutorials haha! There are loads of free resources online.
What three items would you take with you to a deserted island?
A big empty notepad, loads of stationery and a beanbag. I’d just sit there and draw; in this case, I would probably starve to death haha!
If you could time travel, where is the first place you would go?
I’ve genuinely thought about this before, it’s so niche. There’s a production I’m really sad didn’t get filmed, where Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson were in a production called ‘Waiting for Godot’. There are clips of it on the Internet, but it was never filmed, and I would love to see it being performed but unfortunately, one of the actors has passed away.
If you could meet any celebrity, who would you choose?
I think I’d want to meet Nick Park, who created Wallace and Gromit. I feel like I’d get on with him, and we could bond over having the same birthday and have a good chat about animation.
What are 3 characteristics that best describe you as a person?
I would say creative, slightly strange, and mostly quite nice.