Autonomy
Autonomy in software engineering is the ability to take ownership of a technical subject end-to-end — from understanding the need to deploying in production — without relying on constant supervision.
Autonomy in software engineering is the ability to take ownership of a technical subject end-to-end — from understanding the need to deploying in production — without relying on constant supervision. In a field where technologies evolve constantly and teams are often small, knowing how to move forward independently while recognizing when to ask for help is a key skill.
Self-taught learning through The Odin Project
During the COVID pandemic, while studying law, I questioned my career path and started learning web development on my own through YouTube, articles, then The Odin Project — a comprehensive self-taught curriculum for mastering web development. This personal initiative, without any institutional framework, taught me to structure my learning and persevere without supervision.
Result — I built solid foundations in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Git that allowed me to enter professional training at Simplon with a head start.
Learning Odoo from scratch during work-study
From day one of my work-study at 1UP, I had to learn the Odoo framework entirely on my own. I started by taking a complete tour of the ERP, asking as many questions as possible to colleagues from different teams to understand the business workflow. I then explored all of Odoo's official documentation and followed their module development courses. Being the only Odoo developer in the company, every request involving development came to me, which allowed me to ramp up quickly.
Result — Within a few months, I was able to develop complete modules and respond to business requests from the entire company.
- Proficiency level
- Intermediate level. I can lead projects with full autonomy, but I'm still developing my ability to anticipate needs and make more complex architectural decisions without external validation.
- Importance in my profile
- Autonomy is fundamental to my profile. As the sole Odoo developer and responsible for multiple parallel projects (ERP, B2B Symfony, corporate website), I need to be able to make progress on each subject without waiting for directives.
- Hindsight and advice
- Autonomy doesn't mean working alone in a corner. It's crucial to know when to ask the right questions and to communicate regularly on progress to avoid misunderstandings.
- Medium-term goal
- Reach an advanced level by developing my ability to make strategic architectural decisions and anticipate medium-term technical evolutions.
- Current or upcoming training
- Ongoing training on software architecture patterns and best practices for managing technical projects independently.