Welcome to a new Spotlight on Essenters! Today we will have a chat with Melih Korkmaz, a Senior Frontend Engineer at Essent.
HI MELIH, COULD YOU TELL OUR READERS A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?
Hi, I'm Melih Korkmaz and I am a Senior Frontend Engineer at Essent.
In my spare time, I enjoy coding, playing volleyball and exploring new hobbies like photography, playing the piano and eating.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN THE IT-AREA?
While I was in high school in Turkey, I attempted to make a website just out of curiosity. That was one of my first interactions with coding (back in 1999 😊) and I really enjoyed doing that. While studying chemical engineering, I took on the task of managing my university's website, which kept my interest in IT alive. This led me to start freelancing for friends and startups. After my graduation, I started working for mostly financial companies so I could expand my skillset and grow within the company. After a while, I also started my own startup and really enjoyed the entrepreneurship that came with it.
WERE THERE ANY KEY EXPERIENCES OR MENTORS THAT SHAPED YOUR JOURNEY?
One of the things that helped me become more secure in myself was working for startups. You get a lot of knowledge and freedom because you are mostly on your own, with more time to code and experiment.
Additionally, my two brothers-in-law had a significant impact on me. My older brother-in-law, a software developer during his military service, inspired me to code in the first place and it was nice for me to have someone with whom I could talk about software development. My other brother-in-law, with his nice and caring personality, taught me the importance of kindness and encouraged me to strive for personal growth.
Their influence during my career has shaped me into the person I am today.
HOW DID YOU COME TO WORK AT ESSENT?
I applied for another position at first, but I got the reply that Essent liked my profile but didn’t think the role suited my interest. Within the same week I got a new message saying they had something else interesting for me. I was happy with the fact it happened fast, and they kept me in mind and found something that suited my profile.
During my application process, I encountered several code challenges. To my delight, I was the first to achieve a perfect score of 100%, so that was cool!
WHAT EXCITED YOU THE MOST ABOUT JOINING THE COMPANY?
For the last 8 years I was working with startups, so the fact I would be back at a larger organisation excited me. I was most excited for working with other developers and talking about code!
The fact Essent was so open about being agile and fast was one of the things that won me over in the first place. It is the opposite of a startup, but the company works agile and I feel I can add value!
COULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND YOUR PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES?
I work as a Frontend Developer. I focus mainly on making the cockpit platform more developer friendly and handle the technical challenges we want to implement. Most of my days are filled with optimizing the code and the pipeline. Our application is not used by customers but by internal agents and, as a product team, we are responsible for both our developer journey and our user's journey.
WHAT PROJECT OR INITIATIVE ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
I converted our platform from server-side rendering to client-side rendering, to be able to implement a dynamic micro-frontend architecture. This change came with the benefit of using less CPU in our servers, which means it reduced the our costs.
WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU THINK ARE MOST IMPORTANT FOR SUCCESS IN YOUR ROLE OR TEAM?
Clear communication is really important for everyone. Each person in the team has different skills, so it's key to develop and align them together. When we talk openly, it helps to clarify things and makes everyone feel more comfortable.
I learned about that at Essent, because in Turkey there is a more hierarchical way of working. It was difficult for me to adapt to it at first, but I really became more comfortable at my job and as a person.
WHAT ASPIRATIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT OR ROLE IN THE UPCOMING YEAR?
Our main goal is to help Essent transition into a tech-focused company. Personally, I'm excited to be a part of that transformation and to contribute to its success.
HOW DO YOU JUGGLE THE DEMANDS OF YOUR JOB WITH YOUR PERSONAL LIFE?
Because coding is my biggest hobby, I do it a lot in my free time. I code for fun and often make educational videos about them. When I am at work, I try to hyperfocus and stay up to date. When I lose my focus I take a break and play table tennis, and then I go right into my focus zone again.
ANY ADVICE FOR PEOPLE ASPIRING TO WORK IN YOUR FIELD OR IN A ROLE LIKE YOURS?
Don’t do things for the money or for the title, make it your hobby first and then try to pursue a career in it. It needs to come from the heart, otherwise it would be boring, and you won’t be able to keep updating yourself, since coding comes with a lot of dedicating your free time to it.
We would like to thank Melih for the time he took to speak with us, and the insights he shares.
If you have any lingering questions for him, don’t hesitate to drop a comment down below. We will ensure you are promptly connected.