Commentary 1:

Reflecting on my previous role as a Software Developer Intern, these trends have significant implications. Firstly, the shift towards remote work means that I had to adapt to new ways of collaborating with my team and managing tasks. This involved using collaboration tools and virtual meeting platforms more intensively than before. Additionally, the increase in e-commerce and digital transactions meant that there was a higher demand for developing and maintaining e-commerce platforms, payment systems, and other online services. This resulted in more project opportunities and a wider range of problems to solve.

Furthermore, the accelerated adoption of automation and AI presented opportunities to learn and apply these technologies in various tasks. For example, I had the chance to work on projects that involved automating certain processes and integrating AI functionalities. This not only made the work more efficient but also provided me with valuable experience and skills in these emerging areas.

However, these trends also posed challenges. The shift to remote work meant less face-to-face interaction with my team, which sometimes made communication and collaboration more challenging. The rapid increase in e-commerce and digital transactions also meant higher expectations for the performance and reliability of the systems we were developing, which added pressure to the work.

In my current job/internship, these trends continue to shape my work experience. The continuation of remote work means that I must continue to adapt to this mode of working, finding ways to stay motivated and productive despite the lack of physical interaction with my team. The ongoing growth of e-commerce and digital transactions keeps driving the demand for the development and maintenance of related systems, keeping me busy with a steady stream of projects. The acceleration of automation and AI adoption continues to provide opportunities to learn and apply these technologies, further enhancing my skills and experience.

Working remotely has required me to adapt my communication and collaboration skills to effectively work with colleagues from different locations. I have become more proficient in using video conferencing tools, project management platforms, and code collaboration platforms to collaborate with my team.

Moreover, the increased emphasis on digital transformation and automation has influenced the nature of the projects I have worked on. There is a greater demand for developing software solutions that enable businesses to adapt to the new normal, such as building e-commerce platforms, enhancing online customer experiences, or creating data analysis tools to support remote decision-making.

As I am about to start a new job/internship, these trends will likely have even more impact. The continuation of remote work may mean that I must start the new role remotely, which could make the onboarding process more challenging. The ongoing growth of e-commerce and digital transactions could mean that my new role will involve working on related systems, which could provide exciting opportunities but also present new challenges. The accelerated adoption of automation and AI could mean that my new role will involve these technologies to a greater extent, which could require me to further enhance my skills in these areas.

I can anticipate that my future job or internship will involve even more remote collaboration and the use of digital tools and platforms. I will need to be proficient in leveraging virtual communication tools, project management platforms, and code collaboration platforms to effectively work with colleagues and deliver results.

Additionally, the emphasis on digital transformation and automation will likely translate into projects that revolve around developing software solutions to optimize processes, improve efficiency, and enhance digital experiences. This could involve working on projects related to artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, or cybersecurity.

Commentary 2:

The article "The State of Work in 2023" was a fun read. I've been working for 15 years and during this time the expectation was to be in the office every day you were working. Since this was the norm at the time, I never gave it a second thought.I would complain about traffic and the 2 hrs I wasted during commute, but this was part of the job for many of us.It wasn't until the pandemic when I started to question the need for me to be in the office. Most of my work was completed independently and in-person meeting could be easily replaced with Zoom or Slack Huddles.

After the pandemic, my organization encouraged people to return to the office. Some of my coworkers were eager to return, however, I was reluctant.The few times I was in the office, I was the only one there which seemed like a pointless effort to commute in.The article talks about this very point.Organizations need to have intentional workplace policies. Some of the teams I've worked with identified this issue with flexible work schedules and instituted policies that require all team members to agree on the two days they will be in office. Furthermore, they take advantage of everyone's in person attendance to schedule meetings. This makes meetings more productive by forcing people to be present instead of hiding behind a screen and easily getting distracted (although this happens with in person meetings as well).

The other interesting note in the article was about how we measure productivity. I completely agree we tend to measure productivity based on effort or inputs. In my working experience, I'm asked to track how much time I spend on tasks or the number of commits I make in a day. However, this doesn't translate to output or meeting goals. When these types of metrics are put in place, we often see the number of tickets created and worked on increase but we still receive the same feedback from our customers about not meeting their SLA expectations. I think we train our employees to gain the system in order to meet the goals that are capturing input instead of tracking how these metrics impact the work produced.

Lastly, the article mentioned a relationship between happiness and productivity. I do believe that engaged and happy employees are more productive. The difficult thing is measuring happiness and making cultural changes to improve. In my place of employment, we've seen increased focus on culture and even created a department in charge of culture for the organization. I think the pandemic has had major impacts in how we work but what we expect from employers. With remote work, we have more options available for employment because we are no longer limited to physical proximity. One could argue this could either benefit the hiring organization or the job seeking employee. However, I think employees currently have a stronger position and can call the shots, especially in some of the more on demand fields. I don't believe this trend will end so its imperative that organizations focus on retention in order to retain skilled employees.

Answer the following Questions:

1) With respect to commentary 2, did the commentary focus on the application of the concepts/frameworks discussed in the readings to current or prior work environment(s) and did they address things from their professional (past, present, future) perspective? Or did they lean in too much to their personal perspectives or opinions on the matter?

2) From commentary 1 perspective, tell if commentary 2 relates to commentary 1. Where do they have a common ground? Where do they disagree?

3) From commentary 1 perspective, tell if commentary 2 changed your perspective in any way. If so, how? If not, why?