Careers in Development: What It’s Like to be a Software Engineer in the Observability Team at Confluent

Having worked for nine years in his previous company, LinkedIn, Ratish made the decision to transition to a new role to continue to grow his skill set.

Ratish had been monitoring Confluent’s growth and performance for some time and upon speaking with the team, he was convinced that Confluent would be an excellent place to work, especially given the number of talented engineers that he knew previously, who had also joined the business.

We sat down to chat about Ratish’s role at Confluent, what he enjoys about the projects he’s involved in, and where his dream off-site team meeting would be.

Tell us about your team at Confluent and what role you play?

Currently, I hold the position of Senior Software Engineer within the Observability Team at Confluent. Our team is responsible for developing the platform and APIs that enable our customers and colleagues to access insights into Confluent systems, across on-prem and cloud environments. I specifically work within the Observability Platform team, which is responsible for providing and managing a centralized platform for logging and metrics. 

Can you tell us about an interesting project that you are currently working on?

I honestly find everything I work on engaging, however there is one that stands out to me. We embarked on a project to optimize systems infrastructure in order to reduce costs while maintaining the availability and reliability of the data we process. It’s an initiative that my team and I have been working on over the past few quarters, and I find it incredibly compelling how even small technical elements can significantly contribute to overall cost savings for the business.

What does a typical day look like for a Confluent Observability Software Engineer?

I begin my daily routine by checking my emails and chat messages. Throughout the day, I attend both scheduled and ad hoc meetings, as our team operates remotely and it’s important that we catch up to update each other on the progress of our ongoing tasks. The majority of our time is spent working on our long-term projects, such as the cost-reduction initiative I mentioned above. 

In the event of on-call issues, our team members frequently collaborate to provide support for customers or other Confluent teams. As a Senior Engineer, I work closely with other engineers in my team as well as people from other teams to assist them with any queries or issues they may encounter.

How would you describe Confluent’s company culture?

Confluent’s philosophy revolves around empathy and one team. This mindset is evident in how employees behave and treat each other, as they are approachable and always willing to help. The culture at Confluent is characterized by a strong sense of collaboration and support, with everyone pitching in to achieve common goals. We have a positive working environment where employees feel comfortable asking for help and no one is ever turned away. This culture of empathy and the ‘one-team’ philosophy is a reflection of Confluent's commitment to fostering a workplace that values collaboration, inclusivity, and mutual support.

What’s the best decision you have made in your career?

Staying in my previous company for such a long time – 9 years. I gained valuable experience and knowledge that contributed significantly to my personal and professional growth. Additionally, I formed meaningful relationships with colleagues that have endured beyond my time there. I have been able to transfer the confidence and skills I learned there to my new role at Confluent and continue my development even further.

And finally, if you could have your team off-site meeting anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Well, I’d love to go to the Bahamas, so having a team meeting there would be my choice!