On the Map: Omar - Mobile Developer

Omar Padierna is one of our key developers, working on the Guestlogix platform’s mobile SDK. Mobile is pretty important since our platform is designed to perform at its most optimum on mobile devices, obviously. So it only makes sense that we have some best-in-class mobile developers like Omar. I had the chance to catch up with him, in-between his busy schedule, to talk a bit about what he’s working on and why he’s excited about developing the mobile SDK for airlines around the globe.

Ideal vacation

For vacations I normally go back home and just binge on tacos #tacoislife.

Favourite PASTIME

Outside of work, I like to do standup comedy in Spanish. I also play a lot of FIFA on the PS4 here in the office. I'm currently ranked 4th, but I'm working on it.

PERSONAL MOTTO

I’m very science oriented (at some point I seriously considered being a researcher) so my two personal mottos are:

“If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been due more to patient attention, than any other talent.” - Isaac Newton (Which is reassuring because this means that great achievements are more about dedication and passion than any innate talent.)

“Well sometimes science is more art than science, Morty. A lot of people don’t get that.” - Rick from Rick and Morty. (Which is very true, so much so that the scientific community has a term called “the state of the art” which refers to the extent of progress for any given field.)

Ask and answers

WM: What’s a normal day like for you?

OP: I arrive at the office, check the Jira board to see which stories I have pending, and start working on the one with the highest priority. Some stories take more than one day and if that’s the case, I just hit the ground running as soon as I turn the computer on. I’ll update the team on my progress at 11:00 at the daily standup and use that opportunity to raise concerns or ask questions. By the end of the day I reserve some time to do code reviews for new applicants. 

WM: What makes your job rewarding?

OP: I like the work because building an SDK has very specific challenges. You’re building a product for other developers to use, not consumers. As such, we have to think about how we can make it easy for our SDK to be implemented and that means making the effort of thinking several steps ahead of the developers using the product. We also have to think in more abstract ways. 

A major motivating factor is knowing that the SDK is going to be open source. This means that the entire world will be able to see my work and as such, I try to make it the best I can. 

My job is rewarding because of the kind of problems we are facing. I have to think a lot about software design, software architecture and potential edge cases when it comes to developers implementing our platform. That, coupled with the thought that airlines around the world can potentially integrate our software into their mobile apps is very motivating. It would be really nice to book a tour somewhere in the world and think “I built this” as I take a vacation. 

WM: Why is Guestlogix a great place for mobile developers?

OP: It’s a place with a lot of opportunities to make an impact. I would also say that we’re all very collaborative and laid back, so the office vibe is very cool. The flexibility is also great. The people at Guestlogix have the mentality that it doesn’t matter where you are as long as the work gets done and that is both great and rare. Everybody is open with each other and it's really nice that I can approach anybody (from the CEO, to the VPs, to Managers) at the office and talk about the company’s direction and ask questions.  

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