Shubham Y.
About me
| Shubham Y. | |
| Mechanical Engineering | |
| Undergraduate | |
| 2015 | |
| India |
My employment
| Software Engineer - Smart contract | |
| Sablier Labs | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Digital and IT services | |
| 2023 |
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A day in the life of a Software Engineer - Smart contract in the United Kingdom
Most discussions and debates happen on GitHub, so we document every single thought that has gone behind a product.
Briefly describe the organisation you work for
Sablier, a startup funded by a16z crypto, develops token streaming protocols—software that runs on Ethereum and other EVM networks. Built using Solidity, these protocols enable users to stream tokens (i.e., money) to others, without a custodial intermediary. Sablier protocols are used for on-chain vesting, payroll, subscriptions, and various other payments requiring timed money transfers.
What do you do?
I am a Smart Contract Engineer at Sablier, responsible for protocol design, engineering, testing, and deployments. I bring 7 years of experience as an engineer and entrepreneur in the cryptocurrency industry. I am also an angel investor in a few fintech startups.
Reflecting upon your past employment and education, what led you to your current career choice?
After graduation, I started as a software engineer at Target. However, even in my first year, I knew I wanted to work on my own company. While searching for interesting problems to solve, I came across blockchain—a rapidly emerging and innovative industry—and founded my first company. Later, I collaborated with City University of Hong Kong on a design project that utilized blockchain to store data and manage data ownership. I had also advised several early-stage startups, which later led to raising funds from prominent investors.
Upon moving to the UK, I decided to do a Blockchain Engineering Fellowship with RareSkills to polish my engineering skills. I also started contributing to open source projects, and Sablier was one of those open source projects, which led me to finally joining Sablier.
Is your current job sector different from what you thought you would enter when you graduated?
Yes. At the time of my graduation, I thought I would be doing a Ph.D. Even later, when I was looking to start a company, my initial ideas and prototypes were related to the car rental industry. So definitely, I didn't know that I would make my life in the crypto space.
Describe your most memorable day at work
I am responsible for all smart contract protocols at Sablier. That responsibility, and the desire to ship them, see them in action, and see people using them, is what wakes me up every single day. I love what I do.
Are there any challenges associated with your job?
Yes, there are several. One of many is scalability issues with blockchains, which no one has a concrete answer for, but it is something I would like to solve with Sablier.
What’s your work environment and culture like?
It's completely remote. Flexible holidays plan. Only one video meeting every two weeks. Most discussions and debates happen on GitHub, so we document every single thought that has gone behind a product or even a small feature. All of us have read and follow the writing of David Deutsch - The Beginning of Infinity and appreciate criticism and thoughtful discussions. We also have team retreats and attend crypto conferences.
What extracurricular activities did you undertake at university and what transferable skills did you develop through these?
In my free time, I contributed to research related to the study of jets and plumes in a stratified environment. I wanted to do a PhD, so that was my extracurricular. Other than that, I was studying mechanical engineering, so I used to spend time learning computer science on my own.
What would you like to do next with your career?
Probably start a company again.
What top tips do you have for York students preparing for today’s job market and life after graduation?
Find one thing that you can spend your whole life working on/with and then go all in. If do that, your weekends will turn into the most productive days, and your vacations will turn into building new things.
What topics from students are you happy to answer questions on?
Entrepreneurship, Startups, Blockchains, Crypto, Software Engineering.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
I graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai with a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering. Later, I taught myself computer programming and pioneered a career in that. So I can also help you if you want to make a switch into software engineering from a non-software engineering background.
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