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Learning the magical language of code
Sina Sultani decided to go from linguistics to learn how to code and became a software developer in the Design & Digital Experience department at Semcon’s Gothenburg office. Staying up to date with the latest technology within his field is now a part of his everyday job, such as AI. In his Semcon Story, Sina reflects on how this new technological leap may affect our lives.
The reason I started my developer journey was pretty cliché:
I worked in an office next to some developers and saw their screens covered with these massive and incomprehensible lines of code. I have a bachelor’s degree within linguistics with a focus on text and at that point I was searching for a challenge that really would push me to test my abilities. I’ve always loved language and deciphering the structure of language, so I thought to myself “if I’m able to make sense out of this language called code, I would get to explore a universe of possibilities”.
The ever-changing language of code
But the language of code differs from “regular” written text – a lot. The language of code is rapidly evolving and constantly changing, unlike regular language which changes at a much slower pace. This is because the field of technology is advancing and new innovations are being developed at a rapid rate, resulting in the need for updated programming languages and code to accommodate these advancements. Therefore, it is important for developers to constantly stay up to date and adapt to the changes in the programming language.
Working as a software developer really is synonymous with having a responsibility to constantly update oneself on the current modern tech. I view us as, not only being part of the development process of these modern technologies, but also as being the messengers who explain them to other people. My friends and family rely on me to share new findings and developments with them to make their lives easier.
AI and end user focus
And right now, the word on everybody’s lips is AI. Everything points to 2023 as the year where we take the first major steps to integrating AI technologies into the lives of most people. The other week I was showing my father, a man born 1955 in a small village in Iran, a (relatively) newly released AI chatbot. Seeing his face as this language model AI responded to him in Farsi really was amazing. He asks all sorts of questions – information that used to be limited since he couldn’t receive it in his native language.
In our department, we always focus on the user, and that is also very important in AI. It is people who will use the technology in the end and our job is to make sure that we develop and design solutions that help people in their everyday lives. In my role as a software developer at Semcon, I get to explore new technologies, such as AI. In my role as a software developer at Semcon I really get to explore these technologies. I even feel encouraged to do so. Currently I’m waiting for the release of the new AI for the tool I use for documentation, storing boilerplate code and many other things, that’s being released to the public very soon. So that will optimize, streamline, and overall make my job even more fun.
Redefining our entire world view
A while ago there was an art exhibition here at Semcon, where people got to show different art pieces they have made, and one piece of art really stood out to me. An incredibly beautiful painting made with the help of AI through a small prompt. With only a few keywords at its disposal it created a jaw dropping painting. This also raises philosophical questions: Who is the artist? What is an artist?
AI is pushing us to redefine our entire world view. The world of academia is heavily affected by this as well. Does it matter that you are better at me within “intuitive” spelling if we all have access to software correcting the spelling? How about if we have access to software that could take your entire paragraph, or all your written text, however long it may be, and reword it to better articulate the spirit of that you’re trying to convey? What matters inside the walls of the classroom then?
Well, guess we’re about to find out!
And this is a part of what makes my job as a software developer, in my opinion at least, one of the most interesting fields in the coming years in the world. I can’t wait.
About Sina
Title: Software developer at Design & Digital Experience in Semcon’s Gothenburg office
Education: Bachelor’s degree in linguistics and two year education as a backend developer
Worked at Semcon since: August 2022
I have the most fun at work when: the software works! Never gets old.
