【Interview #15】 Engineering Team Interview from the AI Training Program “iLect”

At NABLAS, alongside our R&D business focused on AI technology research and development, we also have another key pillar: AI human resource development. In our AI training program “iLect,” the Engineering Team plays an indispensable role in system development and stable operations. This time, we interviewed members of the iLect Engineering Team to learn more about their work and what makes it rewarding!

What motivated you to join NABLAS?

One of the main reasons was that NABLAS’s technology stack is centered around Python, which aligned both with my past experience and the direction I wanted to pursue. What I found especially attractive was the fact that, because many of the teams are small, the environment allows me not just to follow instructions but to work proactively, bringing my own judgments and opinions into the process. I decided to join NABLAS because I believed it would be a positive experience for me to take on challenges with a high degree of autonomy in developing web services in the fast-growing and highly promising field of AI, while also making use of my past experience.

Another appealing aspect was the remote-first working style, which makes it easier to maintain a good work-life balance.

Could you tell us about your main responsibilities and the work you are currently engaged in?

I belong to the Engineering Team that operates the AI talent Education Service “iLect”, and I am currently engaged in a wide range of tasks including project management, backend and frontend development, and infrastructure management.

In project management, I create development roadmaps and improve features based on the iLect user experience. At the same time, I act as a coordinator, overseeing the entire development project to prevent excessive burdens on team members and avoid unnecessary complexity in operations.

In backend development, I design mechanisms that allow secure and seamless integration between external services and the frontend, while also streamlining and improving the architecture. Here as well, I place great importance on taking initiative to make improvements not merely because someone asked for them, but with foresight into scalability and maintainability.

Additionally, on the frontend side, I work on improving the UI/UX of the iLect system, and in infrastructure management, I handle cloud environment maintenance and GPU management. By being involved across all stages of iLect development, I play a role in ensuring both the quality and sustainability of the service.

What do you find rewarding in your work?

I find great fulfillment in identifying challenges within the current situation and then creating a plan to address them on my own initiative, particularly when it comes to simplifying and improving old, unwieldy code into a form that is easier to maintain. For example, there was once a project where the frontend library had not been updated for quite some time, and I took on the large-scale task of upgrading it to the latest version. It was a highly complex and difficult process, but by carefully planning and advancing step by step, I was able to complete the project over the course of about a month. Seeing it through to the end gave me a strong sense of accomplishment.

What do you keep in mind when working?

Because I approach various tasks with a strong sense of initiative, I always try to make decisions with not only short-term outcomes in mind but also long-term success. While prioritizing efficiency may allow things to move smoothly in the moment, in the long run it can become technical debt, hindering development speed and service growth. To avoid such risks, I consider carefully “how today’s choices will affect the team and users in the future,” and this serves as an important criterion for my decision-making.

For example, in frontend development, even if a piece of code may appear to work fine at first glance, when seen from a long-term perspective it might lack sufficient considerations for maintainability or design, leading to potential issues in the future. I believe the ability to make decisions and judgments based on a long-term perspective is crucial, and that it is also part of my role as an engineer.

Another point I keep in mind is how I engage with new technologies and tools. In the AI field, new and useful tools appear almost daily, and I often try them out in my work. In doing so, I make it a priority to understand that the tool’s output is not always the optimal solution, to use it correctly as just a tool, and to ensure that ultimately I incorporate my own thinking and judgment when moving work forward.

What do you find appealing about working at NABLAS?

I think the most appealing aspect is that I have a high degree of autonomy in deciding what to work on and how to approach it. Thanks to this environment, I can express creativity and initiative in my work. Also, being able to engage in both web development and AI research means I gain variety, diversity, and continuous learning opportunities in my daily work—something unique to this environment.

Another big attraction is being involved in such a wide scope of work, ranging from project management to backend, frontend, and infrastructure. In a large company, it would be difficult to engage so cross-functionally, but here this environment directly contributes to both my personal growth and my motivation at work.

What challenges do you want to take on going forward?

One upcoming challenge is handling the migration to certain packages and libraries that will soon require updates. If left unaddressed, this could affect the continuity of our services, so I want to approach this in a planned way.

There are also parts of our architecture that still need restructuring or refinement. For the sake of reducing long-term risks and ensuring stable operations of our services and products, I want to simplify and improve these areas. Furthermore, I plan to focus on modernizing our existing AI products and evolving them into services with even greater value.

What kind of people would you like to work with in the future?

I would like to work with people who can think independently and take proactive action. In particular, it would be reassuring to work with someone who understands the design principles necessary for building the foundation of web services and who can look at things objectively and connect that perspective to improvements.

It would also be great to work with someone who does not depend solely on a particular organization, but instead has a clear career plan and a strong sense of purpose in acquiring the skills and experience they need. I believe such people can raise the productivity and motivation of the entire team. Someone who has both the drive to make an impact on the industry through innovative AI products and a balance of technical expertise and product-oriented thinking would make working together enjoyable and inspiring for our team.

Thank you for the interview!

NABLAS is currently recruiting new members as we expand our business!

https://www.nablas.com/en/recruit