Day in the Life of a Software Engineer | Oncall at Amazon

Hi everyone,
Here is a small glimpse of my oncall life! The work load of every engineer's oncall experience is very dependent on the team and service they support. Just a small little reminder that not everyone's will look the same~
However, I think it's important to be more cautious about your work life balance and health during this time.
I hope you enjoy this installment of my work day diaries :)
Thank you for the support as always! I appreciate each and every one of you.
xx,
Jenn
[PRODUCT LINKS] (affiliate)
Keydous NJ80-AP Wireless Mechanical Keyboard amzn.to/3AjbDdq
Sony ZV-1 amzn.to/3EPXcAm
♫ MUSIC ♫
❀ epidemic sound
❀ Music by STUDIO BEYOND - Love Week - thmatc.co/?l=377E3658
disclaimer: I do not own any of the music in this video
#softwareengineer #seattle #amazon

[@kpopfan2721]

I just saw that you've updated a new vlog omg 💙💙💙 I'm so happy 😍😍😍 first I'm gonna finish my work and then I will see it so excited

[@themotocrosslounge8697]

remember guys every hour you spend watching somebody live the life you want is an hour you could be coding!

[@paulasmith9736]

I make my underlings code for me.

[@bigbob2364]

lol i aint that much of a coding meat head

[@themotocrosslounge8697]

@@bigbob2364 sucks to suck bob!🤣

[@themotocrosslounge8697]

@@paulasmith9736 wish i had some underlings 🤣

[@mzamonster2008]

I want to start learning to code since i was 11 years old. 23 years later, I haven't started yet 🤣🤣 someday i will.. someday.. lmfao

[@Jay15523]

I really enjoy the vibes in your vlog. It goes perfect with living in Seattle and the rain Lol. Hope your channel keeps growing 🤎

[@BlueWishdom]

Just chillin with ur vlogs its like asmr. I love that keep it up pleasee ❤️❤️

[@andrewdddo]

love the vlog!! seeing more engineers is so awesome to see!

[@techmentormaria]

As a Software Engineering Manager and former Tech Lead, it's interesting to see a day in the life of a software engineer on call at a company like Amazon. Being on call can be a demanding and challenging aspect of the job, but it's also an important part of ensuring the reliability and availability of systems. It's clear from the video that the software engineer in the video takes a proactive approach to their on-call responsibilities, regularly checking in on systems and staying vigilant for potential issues. I also appreciate that the video highlights the importance of clear communication and collaboration with team members, as well as the use of tools and technologies to support incident management. Overall, it's a great representation of the dynamic and sometimes unpredictable nature of software engineering and the importance of being prepared for and responding to unexpected issues.

[@jeremychow4741]

Loving the peacefulness of your vlogs and the soothing sound of your voice when you talk! I am going along for the ride of your subscriber count to go up. Keep up the great work!

[@imjenncho]

Thank you 😊 appreciate the support!

[@aurorasofie]

Love your video style! Subbed :) Also enjoyed how you explained what you were working on. I'm a mid-level engineer living in Norway. Just got a new job as a consultant (starting in jan) after 2 years in-house, excited for the journey ahead!

[@imjenncho]

That’s exciting! Good luck with your new chapter :)

[@xAstrato]

Nice videos! Keep up the great work. You're making me miss Seattle

[@timstraburg6761]

I freaking love ur keyborad!!

[@mauricioac]

YES. Meetings take a lot of time on bigger companies, and the oncall situation is as real as it gets, even the pager 😂

[@parsefal4664]

УРааааа!!! Новое видео! :) я очень рад вас видеть! i glad to see you!!! 🤗🤗🤗💘🤗🤗☺😊🙂

[@kannpech6881]

Love your videos! So relaxing and chill. when your smile so beautiful,

[@raymondong349]

Love the chill vibes as usual! 💯 might be a future vid idea, but it’ll be enriching to hear your thoughts on this! what are some tips you would give to junior devs to catch up to speed & also to keep up to date with new tech in the space? 😁

[@imjenncho]

Thank you Raymond 😊 Good idea! May be featured in one of my future vlogs or on a more dedicated career advice video.

[@alanrivera4788]

keep up the videos i rly enjoy them! :)

[@dayanallamatti7176]

Love the very nice background music and the organization of your vids. Keep it up... You gained another Subscriber 👍

[@imjenncho]

Welcome to my small community! 😊

[@georgew8586]

Oh on call something I do not miss (retired), after 35+ years in IT, started with assembler and punch cards. A company I started to work for put me on call after 6 weeks and no one thought it important to explain the production source libraries. I was working from day 1 on a new supply chain system. Midnight till about 6 am on a Saturday night had 2-3 high severity pages + 2 lower priority pages, I got through it sleepless. Tickets, yeah on my team there were those who felt it was below them to work on, besides my day job I had the highest ticket closure rate on the team. It’s all a challenge and it can be bit frustrating. Especially when someone else’s deployment goes south and no one is responding and you happen to look at a chat for help.

[@kimeiga]

I relate to your oncall experience! I'm on a pretty core feature of the FB app and kinda top of funnel so I end up spending a lot of time investigating everything only to realize that usually it's not even our fault anyways and then the hardest part becomes trying to find who to give it to before its too late lol. There's only three of us left and I'm still kind of a newgrad so its a strange feeling randomly having so much responsibility. But I guess somebody has to keep the lights on haha

[@attilapeter1588]

It was good to see another good video but it also better to see how your channel growing keep it up :) (I liked your keyboard)

[@imjenncho]

Thank you! I appreciate the support 😊

[@porysowany]

@@imjenncho what model of keyboard it is? It looks dope :)

[@imjenncho]

@@porysowany I added the link in the description! But i's the Keydous NJ80-AP Wireless Mechanical Keyboard brown switches :) The keycap set was a gift 🎁

[@ErikHanchett]

I can hear that outlook email chime from anywhere! Nice video! 5-10 high severity tickets every 2 weeks for on call isn’t bad. I know some service teams that get that many every week ! Lucky you didn’t get paged in the middle of the night. I’ve had that happen a few times.

[@al-romanov]

THE CAT IS SOOOOO CUUUTE!!! Waiting for the day in life of software engineer's cat!

[@imjenncho]

Yes!! If you don’t mind my cat sleeping for nearly all the day lol

[@ara682]

yaaaaay thanks for sharing ❤ jenn

[@imjenncho]

thank you for supporting 🫶🏻😍

[@howled0]

Vids like yours helped me choose my career path for college. Ty

[@heyitscafe36]

We love a tech QUEEN Thank you for sharing your experience with us!

[@0xTomster]

I got my first job as a Frontend Engineer at Amazon after doing a bootcamp and moved to Seattle. I miss that beautiful city. Love your chill vibin videos!

[@0xTomster]

Lol I don’t miss those on call weeks

[@imjenncho]

That's awesome! thanks for sharing :)

[@0xTomster]

@@sobiyet5372 Bloomtech but it was called Lambda School when I went.

[@ThEMath0ss]

Thanks for sharing your daily life, keep going and improve it!😊

[@imjenncho]

Thank you 😊

[@danramirez8553]

I've been considering switching majors becuase my interest in mechanical engineering has only really been in the problem solving, math and physics and not so much the material or real life implimentations they address. I'm in my senior year and have almost considered starting a new into software engineering as computers are pretty much in my complete realm of interest.

[@jiaxuanng2396]

I can't stress how important meetings are. We moved to a daily 5-10 min standup and its really helped productivity.

[@harveyaguilarc.555]

Saludos desde Ecuador son superbonitos tus videos sigue con tu canal.

[@georginaCsweeting]

Your reformer Pilates studio was so cute with the Halloween decorations 👻

[@apoorvakumar7102]

I just got a rejected in an Amazon interview a week ago, even though I performed well and was expecting an offer and this video made even more depressed about what I'll be missing. Amazon video though!

[@msunje9862]

Try again, don’t give up 💪

[@aliaalea]

Lovely!

[@kiyoun]

thanku for making videos 🥺

[@imjenncho]

And thank you for watching and supporting 🥹🙏🏻

[@Rhael89]

Omg the crazy pager alarm!! First thing I do when I start my oncall shift is to make sure I have a different alarm.

[@imjenncho]

😂 lol I’m afraid if I change it then I’ll mute that sound in my head and miss the page

[@stanciudorin]

Hey! What Macbook have yout got there? can you please share the specs? also is it 14" or 16". Thanks and great video btw 👌

[@sfnb5]

Great vid, but doing oncall are u getting any bonuses, stock options,thinking about going oncall but would miss out on so many perks,yeah meeting sukk lol thanks for the vid..

[@rafatbiin]

Oncall is really an overwhelming period of time when you need to do tech support by answering questions of your service and help on investigations of issue’s coming from contributors and then there is production incident and you get called in the middle of the night. But yeah that’s software engineering. It’s nuanced, not all shiny how people usually think it is. Great video btw. Please keep on making such videos.

[@imjenncho]

Agree with you! I think it's especially important to prioritize the small things you enjoy to make it a bit better. Also, I appreciate the support. Ty!

[@kamertonaudiophileplayer847]

It is awesome, do not drop KZbin publishing. You videos are the best.

[@doseofdevy]

Your cat is way calmer than mine 😂 love the aesthetics though!

[@imjenncho]

Mine can get crazy with food lol and Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@sheriberrix]

Your cat is so cute. Great video, it was interesting to see what on call means for you !

[@imjenncho]

Thank you! 😊

[@ManzoorStrange]

i watched your all videos and it makes me motivated toward development but still i am beginner and i am learning nextjs and expressjs having problems with backend everytime mostly apis

[@tyo007]

the main reason I didn't really want to come back to e-commerce is simply because of the on call and the pager. My god one day you go outside and could be lucky that there is nothing wrong with the system and next day it's like everyone is fighting against you. It is also worse when the company or the team became really comfortable with that and no improvement or automation planned to counter the increasingly number of issue

[@mohammedrehan4781]

hey Jenn! I really liked ur channel, I got to learn many things from it. your background music is so soothing ♥ I would like to know what's your current tech stack at amazon!? if you don't mind to answer

[@imjenncho]

Kotlin, Java, dynamodb, lambda, ecs, graphql, cdk, other other AWS based services!

[@royk.9347]

@@imjenncho very cool!

[@royk.9347]

very cool!

[@TenaciousDM]

This is cool. Considering transitioning to engineering

[@thecodingsim6003]

your place is so pretty! Is it pretty expensive to live in a loft alone? (assuming that you don't live with anyone haha)

[@llocdenil]

Women in tech just makes me so happy, you go girl! And... your kitty really wanted a slice of pizza 😸

[@imjenncho]

thank you! 😊

[@josefkarlouy1975]

Love the backround music on 02:19 what is it? I like that it feels so cozy and relaxing.😸😸😸✌

[@gamadanofminecraft9717]

Hi! I'm an aspiring software developer/web developer! Currently in my third year taking BS Management information systems! At that type of environment, is lovelife still possible?

[@MikeyJoJo6385]

OMG your cat is sooo cute!

[@coolcalmboogie]

Love the content. Curious, what camera are you using?

[@imjenncho]

thank you! i use the sony zv-1 (link in description). It was my first time using it and I like it a lot. In my video, I used both my iphone 13 pro and sony zv1 to film.

[@KulwantSingh-xr4si]

Digging the pastel coloured keyboard - reminds me of certain k-dramas.

[@imjenncho]

thank you 🙏 they also sound very nice

[@KulwantSingh-xr4si]

@@imjenncho You're welcome!

[@harknowhere]

Hehe I like how she shows the cat right before turning the stove on

[@alexyu4629]

Thanks for sharing Jen 😸

[@gphsog763]

SHALOM. YOUR CHOOSING CHARACTER IS SO WONDERFUL TO MY EYES~ AND CUTE PAN!

[@yasirhussain2431]

Good to see you're still employed during these scary times.

[@larissahora]

So oncall means you have to be available anytime to check on bug tickets? Love the video by the way.

[@imjenncho]

Yes, you are the primary developer on the team to work on operational tickets for the service(s) your team supports. The operational tasks involve a lot of investigating issues such as alarm tickets, bugs, down stream service dependency issues, production issues, client issues/concerns, etc. On top of that, since you are the main poc, you'll get dragged into a lot of meetings or conversations related to your service. Also, thank you!! 😊

[@larissahora]

@@imjenncho got it! thanks for explaining. do you change shifts with your teammates? because that seems exhausting

[@steverhinehart9794]

What do u like about your job & what do u don't like? Your in one of my favorite cities. Take care.

[@brucehlee1971]

Nice keyboard 😍

[@arxangelxx]

Hello! Which laptop from an apple do you recommend for work? 🍎

[@koreantramp]

Thanks. I watched well.

[@harshs538]

Great video! , What mechanical keyboard do you use?

[@imjenncho]

I added the link in the video description!

[@hants636]

i love your video

[@summerfatima2525]

I need to buy that egg frying pan 😢❤ Its so cute and I imagine it’s easy to wash as well lol

[@liiveinternationalinitiati5004]

This girl is so cute :( omg I’m in love

[@powderfromarcane3723]

a very cute software engineer > heaven for ur spouse for sure

[@frazhou1]

Nice keyboard, cute cat.

[@bgi9031]

How much do you make I am 21 in San Bernardino amazed at how far u are in life

[@bigbob2364]

it sucks to be on call no vacation until u watch the notification

[@chilly2171]

do you guys use splunk or kibana?

[@LuuTheVu]

8:53 cat is so cute

[@gilbertgonzalez3575]

I loved that video, i'm junior programmer and i like your content. Greetins for you beautifull girl

[@imjenncho]

Thank you 🙏🏻 greetings to you as well ☺️

[@seyifolarin8334]

OMG love your cat

[@noelmacadangdang4666]

Your the most beautiful software engineer here in youtube 🥰

[@yuriborroni5490]

what browser do u use?

[@EbonySeraphim]

Chill vibes at an Amazon service team, as a software engineer, while oncall do not go together at all.

[@ConsumeTheKids]

Hoping to get on your level some time. Currently work IT for Amazon but after 3 years this warehouse life is getting old 😅

[@imjenncho]

Best of luck!

[@Brucelee89896]

hey may i ask what the page range for it in amazon or starting pay? i wanted to do it but got a job with a bank

[@ConsumeTheKids]

@@Brucelee89896 depends on the position. A basic L1 AA that does something like (pick or pack) starts at $15/hr but that can also change based on where you live

[@ConsumeTheKids]

@@Brucelee89896 that lowercase “IT” really threw me off for a sec lol. Depending on the level you come in it can vary. Tbh an external hire gets a better offer compared to someone internal who moves up but a good idea would be a L3 starts around 50k a year

[@Brucelee89896]

@@ConsumeTheKids lol I forgot to make it IT, im in FL and was gonna apply at amazon IT but always wondered their pay range, thanks

[@haveaniceday5780]

Hi, just wanted to give kudus in the videos. However, I came across another video basically providing warnings about involving your work company as part of your content. The example of that person lost their job and I really hope that never could happen to you. Not to alarm you but it might be good to check internally to make sure?

[@searcheuchheang95]

As a mobile app dev, my daily life is almost the same as yours. 🤣

[@tylerliu2760]

Only 10 tickets in 2 weeks?? Is your team accepting internal transfers? (Asking for a friend 😂😂)

[@andikasavana4539]

can someone make a video about "a day in life of a day in life vlogger"

[@alexStudio3D]

muito bacana a jornada de dia trabalho, mais o gato precisa de tanto amor assim, kkk

[@megieval]

where's the plaid puffer from it's so cute x

[@imjenncho]

It’s from Uniqlo!

[@AmgadSamir-oy1tl]

Could you please tell us how you got your job and how you prepared for the interview?

[@imjenncho]

Check out my video here :) I share how I became a software engineer kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqvRXoCbqdN0prc

[@AmgadSamir-oy1tl]

I appreciate your response thanks.

[@killjoy2447]

Gonna have my first on onCall shift on Christmas week, wish me luck T_T

[@imjenncho]

You got this!! 🙌🏼

[@noura.Ah.ja_]

Nice

[@liiveinternationalinitiati5004]

LY ❤️

[@Karuska22ps]

Why are these day in the life videos everywhere. Being a software engineer is so easy

[@azyt]

Where did you get your puffer jacket 💕

[@imjenncho]

The puffer is from Uniqlo! Very flattering and I love the unique plaid print.

[@lunaeclipse5768]

there are somany weird thing about this youtube world all the good looking and have nice voice youtuber like u, always are having low subs. Yet other ppl with boring Loop of video uploads, that are just having similar thing again and again, that just keep having more and more subs.

[@mr.bigdick7692]

is it required to have a college diploma in order to work as a software engineer at Amazon?

[@imjenncho]

No! I would say tech industry is very open and college diploma is not always necessary. My Software Engineer friend at Amazon does not have a college degree but he made it! It really depends your experience and if you're qualified/pass the technical interviews.

[@mr.bigdick7692]

@@imjenncho Thanks. You are cute btw :)

[@johnangwin]

“Yesterday I only got 6 hours of sleep…” lol

[@mrflexii2067]

8:37 a custom keyboard, I guess? cuz it sounds lovely

[@imjenncho]

I don’t remember the name of my keyboard but yes I did some slight modifications 😊 the sound is most important!

[@ConsumeTheKids]

I have a PC75B with a PC plate and lubed switches and i don’t think I’ll ever go back to anything else 😂

[@Edwin582]

Hey, what keyboard do you use?

[@imjenncho]

It's linked in the description!

[@fillsdiscussion5455]

you so beauty😍

[@djmallinson]

thanks for the video. yes on call sucks. I think most software engineers prefer coding to meetings, which methodology do you follow? I'm guessing Agile Scrum? minor nitpick at 2:14 caption spelling - your's should be yours (no apostrophe)

[@trered21]

what language do you code in ? love the channel

[@imjenncho]

I use mainly java & kotlin! we dont do anything related to android development tho. Kotlin is compatible to java so we use it lol

[@warpmaster7]

you normally sleep 8 - 10 hours a night? I would be lucky to get 8 hours. I don't even remember the last time i slept for 10 hours lol

[@NO-AH562]

I wish healthcare workers got paid to live lives like this, sure would be nice.

[@lennymomanyi7104]

beautiful friend you have there, Love.

[@adamkeel7728]

how about a recipe for that lunch?