My time at Hinge.

After a year and a half, my time at Hinge came to an end. I am thankful for the time I spent there, the people I met, the projects I got to work on, and all the knowledge I gained.

I would like to share my thoughts about the last year and a half. And as crazy as it sounds… it all started with a tweet.

How It All Began

Back then I had just finished my first year at uni and wanted to get some industry work experience under my belt. Along with some really good tips, I got an email from Phil, a director at Hinge. A few messages and a video call later, I got an internship offer. Don’t underestimate the power of social media, folks!

From Intern to Junior Developer

The internship was actually a great starting point, as it let me learn without the pressure of deadlines, but obviously I also wanted to earn some money! My knowledge and attitude were at the right place, and 5 short weeks later my dream of signing a contract as a junior developer came true.

You know this feeling when you know you are where you’re supposed to be, and getting up on Monday morning feels great because you can go to work? That was me. Heck, that still is me 18 months later!

What Have I Learned?

During my time at Hinge I was exposed to a lot of new technologies and cool software, but also multiple little things — like emailing clients or attending Zoom meetings (which were terrifying to me before, now they are a day-to-day thing).

Technologies & Tools

Also, me being me (aka loving lists and being able to retrospectively look back and see progress), I noted which technologies I got to know in the 15 projects I got to contribute to:

• Vue.js — the main frontend framework used across projects
• React — used on select projects
• Ionic — for mobile app development
• Firebase — for hosting, auth, and database
• Express.js — backend API work
• Three.js / A-Frame — for 3D and WebAR experiments

Professional Growth

Working on real life projects and solving real issues is, in my opinion, the greatest and fastest way to learn and grow. I still very much love frontend development but also started to like the backend a bit and discovered a passion for developing mobile apps.

Thanks to the experience those projects gave me, I started thinking about every possible outcome of a user’s actions, making sure to notify them about what is happening — and no more focusing only on the happy path. Everyone thinks differently, and what’s obvious to you may not be obvious to someone else.

Code Quality & Design Skills

I have also changed the way I write code, from “yay it works! I’m not gonna touch it”, to “OK, great, it works, let’s refactor it so it’s readable and takes the least lines possible.”

Another positive I noticed is how my design skills improved. Even though designing was not part of my tasks, implementing good designs gave me an insight of how great designs should look.

Plans for the Future?

It’s a great privilege to know what you want to do in your life and which direction to follow. And I know for sure that I love being a developer and can’t wait to start my new adventure in the new year!