CARLTON Dennis, 30, is a senior software engineer who was trained in Jamaica, but has been feeling right at home doing what he loves best at the Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions in Florida.

According to him, software development and innovation are two topics he has always been passionate about since his childhood days in St Andrew. His formal training in the fields of research, science, information, software development and technology, officially began while he was pursuing his Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Computer Science at the University of the West Indies between 2000 and 2004.

During his visit to Jamaica to spend his Christmas holidays with his family, Career and Education caught up with him. This week we share an insight into his career.

1. Who is a senior software engineer?

This individual is a lead software developer in charge of software architecture for a segment of the overall enterprise system.

2. What is the value of the work that you do?

It allows my business to stay competitive by utilising software to solve complex business problems.

3. What do you enjoy most about your career?

I like solving problems. Software development is primarily about solving problems and also it’s a very fast-moving industry.

4. What are your responsibilities as a senior software engineer?

My responsibilities include: software design, training junior engineers, and keeping abreast of new technologies to be incorporated into the system. At work, I am in charge of a group of 10 developers and we work on various projects – primarily the internal enterprise system that connects the different aspects of the corporation and serves 2000 users. We also work with various customers facing projects that serve a much larger customer base. At home, I am working on various projects to explore the potential business opportunities in the upcoming explosion in wearable technology. At present I am building applications that run on Google Glass, a heads-up display and wearable computer worn on the face.

5. Was this the career choice that you have always wanted?

Yes. I’ve always been interested in technology and always knew I would be building software systems since about the age of 12. It started with my fascination with science fiction and the emergence of the Internet. I taught myself how to program on the Internet. A lot of my free time was spent practising software engineering. I decided to go to school to get a B.Sc. on the subject, majoring in Computer Science. Since I graduated nine years ago, I have been working full-time in the field. During college I took many odd jobs in IT and software development, wherever I could find them.

6. List the schools and universities that you attended along with the year and duration of the courses.

University of the West Indies – B.Sc. in Computer Science, 2000-2004

Nova South Eastern University, FL – M.Sc. Information Systems, 2009-2010

7. List the job positions you have had along with the year and duration of these positions.

Systems programmer – MC systems, Jamaica, 2004 – 2005

Web developer – Revelex Corporation, FL, 2005 – 2008

Software engineer – Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions, FL, 2008 – current

8. What are the qualifications for your job?

It demands long hours reading about technology and practising. Officially, a degree in Computer Science and at least three years experience working in software development, but more often these days, demonstrating the necessary technical skill can take the place of more formal qualifications.

9. What are some of the challenges that you face on the job?

Communicating with non-technical co-workers and customers. It takes a lot of work to bridge the gap necessary to build the right system features.

10. What advice do you have for others who wish to become a senior software engineer?

Read a lot. Join online communities. Get involved in open source development. Learn a lot of math.

11. What is your daily motivation?

To be better than I was yesterday and to keep learning.