Name: Matt License
Role: Senior Software Engineer at PEAK6 Investments (Belfast)
What does your typical day look like?
It’s hard to narrow down a typical day because each one brings a different set of challenges. One consistent thing: I rotate between a couple of pieces of development, testing, and assisting with any support queries.
What are you currently working on?
I work on our crypto trading platform, so as you can imagine this year has been busy! We’re working to expand the number of currencies a user can trade with us by integrating more market makers. We’re also looking at switching out our existing message broker for Kafka. We have a large number of microservices, so this isn’t a small task!
What inspired you to join this company in particular?
PEAK6 had opened offices in Belfast just a few months before I joined. As I read up about them and learned about what they do, I became more interested. It was exciting to be one of the first few people in the Belfast office. The hiring team was keen on getting a really good group of people in to fit the company culture, and they definitely did.
Did you always want to work in the tech industry?
Yeah, as long as I can remember I’ve been interested in tech. I spent a good chunk of my teenage years learning to code and building computers. There was never any question that I would go on to work with computers in some way! I ended up studying a BSc degree in Computer Science and Mathematics at Loughborough University
What’s your favourite part about your work?
That I’m constantly learning and getting the opportunity to learn. One of the first things I learned at the company was a new language (Go), which is something I’ve wanted to do but I never had the opportunity.
What would you say to other people considering a job in this industry?
Don’t hesitate to ask questions! It was one of the things I struggled with as a quiet person.
Who inspired you to work in this field?
I wouldn’t say there was a single person who inspired me, but my parents always encouraged me when I was interested in something.
What do you consider to be the most important tech innovation or development in recent years?
Definitely the move to contactless payments and away from cash.
How do you see this technology impacting our lives?
We’ve already seen a big push in contactless payments from contactless cards and things like Apple and Google Pay over the last few years. The pandemic brought it to the forefront. As security measures improve, I think paying with our devices will become the standard, instead of cash or cards.
What tech gadget could you not live without?
It’s almost a cliché at this point, but definitely my phone. I use it to help manage nearly everything in my life.
Read more about our Tech Trailbazers on Sync NI here. Find out more about PEAK6's job opportunities on our Jobs page here.
