Day in the life of a Capital One software engineer

Every day has been a new adventure for Lynne, a software engineer, since joining Capital One in 2023. She fills her time with impactful coding projects, pursuing new tech skills and meeting other technologists through Blacks in Tech, Capital One’s Business Resource Group for Black technologists.

“There’s so much freedom and ownership in how you approach your life at Capital One,” Lynne said. “Rarely, if ever, does a day go by where I don’t feel like I’m expanding my tech acumen or becoming a better professional.”

Check out what a day at Capital One can be like for a software engineer. 

Completing innovative work

Lynne is on team Porg—affectionately named for a fictional bird from the “Star Wars” universe—which manages the tech behind the onboarding experience for the Capital One mobile apps. 

Lynne specifically works on Capital One’s Android app. She creates the prompts, messaging and secure information storage that allows customers to enable notifications, input their contact information and link accounts when they first download the app. 

“I graduated college in 2021. I didn’t expect to be working on such a visible product this soon into my career,” Lynne said. “It’s definitely a cool experience pointing to the app when people ask me about my job.”

Lynne’s day typically starts with a 15-minute stand-up for team Porg to review their to-do lists and discuss any setbacks. Depending on the day, she’ll spend much of her time on heads-down work, using the Kotlin programming language to work on test automation, fix bugs and build monitoring dashboards for upcoming features in the app.

While Lynne uses Kotlin for the Android app, she can pull up with a colleague at any time to learn more about Swift, the programming language her team uses to manage the Capital One app on Apple products. 

“I have a pretty wonderful set-up with my team,” Lynne said. “They trust that I can get my work done but are always open to questions and problem-solving.”

Gaining new knowledge

The trust team Porg has in Lynne getting her work done gives her the freedom to schedule her day as she sees fit, which includes having uninterrupted time to expand her tech expertise. 

Lynne is an alum of the Capital One Developer Academy (CODA), a six-month training program that creates a career pathway into tech for non-computer science students from diverse backgrounds, majors, academic disciplines and experiences. Since she successfully completed the program, Lynne is now part of the Technology Development Program (TDP), one of Capital One’s rotational programs where recent grads cycle through two positions with two different teams. 

Both programs gave Lynne a solid foundation of technical knowledge and how to navigate the workplace, but she wants to grow further. Lynne spends part of her time in the office studying with TDP colleagues for Amazon Web Services (AWS) certification. She also uses Udemy, a learning and development platform associates have free access to, for courses on AWS and Kotlin. 

“I didn’t have a traditional tech background, having studied health sciences, so I was a little worried about feeling behind compared to people who have been in tech for so long,” Lynne said. “Thankfully, I didn't need to be worried. Capital One is so focused on education. There are so many resources and support to help you get ahead.”

Building a community

Blacks in Tech (BIT) has provided Lynne with a heavy amount of professional and personal support. 

On any given day, she’ll attend a BIT hangout in McLean, where she meets with associates in various tech roles across the company. Lynne also attends learning sessions on subjects like navigating end-of-year reviews, what cyber security teams are working on and developing soft skills. 

One of Lynne’s favorite moments was attending the annual BIT Summit, a three-day career development experience. Lynne attended sessions on using AI responsibly, effective serverless testing and leveling up emotional intelligence. 

“As much as Blacks in Tech has taught me about technology, what really resonates with me is being part of a larger group built around our identity and shared experience,” Lynne said. “It’s affirming to know I’m one of many Black technologists and women technologists.”

Choose your own adventure

Since joining Capital One, Lynne has come to expect that every day as a software engineer will bring a mix of creating empowering innovations for our customers, learning new technology and building bonds with colleagues across the company. 

“Capital One understands tech is always evolving, and as such, you always have to be learning and exploring,” Lynne said. “There’s no monotony. Life at Capital One is fun.”