Khushil Shah

In the past eight months at Madeline & Co, I’ve grown immensely, transitioning from working solo to collaborating in a dynamic team environment. Working alongside teammates of similar age helped me quickly adapt, build rapport, and improve my communication skills. I've learned to prioritize tasks effectively, meet deadlines, and ensure that everyone on the team stays updated by regularly sharing our work. Even if I'm not directly involved in a particular feature, staying informed on the team's activities has broadened my technical knowledge and helped me understand diverse development processes.

As a Full-Stack Developer, my primary responsibility is the frontend, but my interest in backend development led me to interact closely with backend developers. I frequently join their meetings and discussions, which keeps me current with our backend codebase and provides insight into the overall architecture. Both my project manager and the company’s founder have been incredibly supportive, demonstrating the importance of a healthy work culture and guidance.

Currently, I also lead a segment of the application, where I handle decisions and feature improvements. This responsibility has helped me develop leadership skills, confidently present ideas, and refine my approach to project management.

One major skill I've embraced is using AI as a coding assistant. Leveraging AI has significantly boosted my productivity, allowing me to complete tasks in hours that once took days. I’ve learned how developers can use AI to simplify their work and improve efficiency.

We also conduct “swarming” sessions, where the entire team works intensively on a feature for two or three days. This approach, akin to a hackathon, accelerates development and lets all team members gain experience with new features, enhancing productivity and technical learning. Overall, my time at Madeline & Co has been invaluable, and I’m excited to keep learning and growing.