What's your job about?
Working at carsales is all about building the best digital marketplace experience for buyers and sellers. For me, that has meant working across different parts of the business as a developer to contribute to this goal.
In my first rotation, I worked as a full-stack developer on AutoGate, our platform for dealers to manage, buy, sell and advertise stock on the carsales network. I found that developing for enterprise / commercial needs involved solving complex business problems and developing powerful features to streamline efficiency.
In my second rotation, I worked on the consumer side of the business on a new product for the carsales website, where the importance of good UI/UX was paramount.
I have recently started my third rotation in the AI team, working on new experimental Large Language Model (LLM) powered products, which has been very different from anything I have done previously, but so far has been fascinating and I can’t wait to see how these projects develop.
What's your background?
I studied a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Computing and Software Systems at the University of Melbourne, with a few extra Finance and Maths subjects sprinkled in. When I started uni I wanted to do physics, but physics was really hard and my computer science subjects were more fun so I switched.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
I think some practical programming skills and a strong willingness to learn are enough. carsales has an awesome culture of curiosity and learning and you will be well supported.
What’s the coolest thing about your job?
The coolest thing has been the opportunity to jump right in and start developing features and seeing them get pushed to production, even in your first few weeks. Seeing the impact you have had motivates you to keep learning and improving.
What are the limitations of your job?
Having multiple rotations is both a blessing and a curse. Of course, there are amazing benefits, getting to try new things while you are still early in your career is awesome. With that said, sometimes just as you have been on a roll, you must switch teams and start learning all over again.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student…