Meet the Writer: HackerNoon's Contributor Darryl Bayliss, Software Engineer

So let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.

Hello! My name is Darryl Bayliss. I’m a software engineer from Liverpool, now based in London in the UK. I have over 10 years of experience helping businesses succeed through software. Whether it’s helping set a technical strategy, building up a team, or building features to requirements, I can help you and your business get to the next level.

Away from the keyboard, I like to relax by reading, playing games, and visiting new places.

Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?

My latest story is about how the mobile mapping industry is due to grow over the next few years. It also shows how developers can get involved by using Jetpack Compose to build apps using Google Maps. Jetpack Compose is a new way to build UI for Android devices and has fast become the preferred way for Android Engineers to build apps.

I’ve spent a lot of my career working with maps, so I was excited to see Google Maps begin to support Jetpack Compose in February 2022. The result was this story I wrote in 2023 and also gave a talk about later in the year. I’m really happy to see it being so enthusiastically promoted as a top story on HackerNoon.

Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?

I tend to write about what I find interesting. As an engineer, that curiosity to learn burns bright so the topics can vary. Some of the other topics I wrote about this year are LLMs running on mobile devices and using Kotlin’s Map Transformation functions. Last year, I wrote an article about building a full-stack application running on AWS and the architectural decisions I made.

Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)

It ebbs and flows. I can go a couple of months where I’ll write very little, and then one day, come across something that gives me a hit of inspiration. Usually, that surge of inspiration is enough for me to write out a draft in a few hours and then do some self editing to make sure it comes across well.

Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?

Finding the time to write and balancing it between other things. Between managing a full-time job, a personal life, and finding time to relax, it can be easy to neglect these things. Earlier in my career, I was really bad at finding that balance; these days, I’m much better, and I think it actually helps with my writing.

What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?

At present, I’m looking to be a good source of knowledge and guidance for other engineers. I’ve learned a lot after 10 years of software engineering that I wish someone would have told me starting out. To me, helping others helps them learn things without having to go through the (sometimes painful!) experience themselves.

Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?

Chicken wings. They’re good comfort food. :)

Do you have a non-tech-related hobby? If yes, what is it?

I’m a big fan of playing Chess. Both online and over the board (offline). It’s a helpful distraction for me when I need some time away from technology.

What can the HackerNoon community expect to read from you next?

Expect more articles on varying topics to come through in the next few months. They won’t necessarily be regular like clockwork but I can say they will be worth the wait and of good quality!

What’s your opinion on HackerNoon as a platform for writers?

I really like it. I’ve been aware of HackerNoon for a couple of years and only recently started to publish stories on it. The writing process is straightforward forward, and when I’ve had issues, the editor working on my story has been extremely helpful and supportive. There’s also a raw/gritty aspect to the site that appeals to me.

Thanks for taking time to join our “Meet the writer” series. It was a pleasure. Do you have any closing words?

Thanks for taking the time to get to know me and a big thanks for supporting my story!

Credit to Alexander Svensson for the feature image