Aleena Baig

I'm a senior software engineer at a health-tech startup in London, where I tech lead a small team of engineers and specialise in full-stack development with Typescript, React, Mongo and AWS. Over the last decade, I’ve worked at a variety of tech startups in London - primarily in engineering roles and in companies of various sizes, including larger companies like Deliveroo and smaller scale-ups like Accurx.

I also have a Computer Science degree from Bristol, and a Master’s in AI Ethics from the University of Cambridge, where I studied part-time alongside my full-time engineering job.

Over the years I have done a lot of teaching and mentoring, both formally when teaching programming courses (in particular several industry-preparation courses with CodeFirst:Girls), and also more informally with mentoring engineers at work, from apprentice-level up to mid-level engineers.

I take a rounded approach to engineering and operate with a very strong focus on building core skills alongside technical ones - whether that is becoming a better collaborator, or understanding product better. With experience in growing technical teams and shipping products to millions of users, I have truly seen that the most effective engineers are ones who understand what they are building, and take the time to work well with others.

Every individual has different areas they want to work on, but here are some general places where I can provide guidance :

- Crafting an approach to learning new technologies
- Reviewing code and giving feedback on style and quality
- Walking through software engineering concepts
- Testing code effectively (both backend and frontend)
- Levelling up as an engineer (in particular from mid-level to senior)
- Preparing for technical interviews

My experience also means I’m able to chat about some more specialised non-technical topics:

- Navigating the tech industry as an underrepresented person
- Balancing study alongside software engineering work
- Assessing work culture at smaller companies
- Growing soft skills at work (e.g. communication, leadership etc.)
- Maintaining work-life balance when working in fast-paced cultures

I’d love to hear from you if you are looking to take your next steps in growing as an engineer, particularly if you are within the first few years of your career or are working in a startup environment.