When Anna Presho joined Immersive Labs over two years ago, she was ready for consistency. After spending most of her early career working as a contract backend engineer, Anna had become a “jack of all trades” in her field: “Each contract brought a new challenge, which taught me how to adapt quickly. ”With this valuable experience under her belt, she sought a backend engineering role at Immersive Labs to deepen her focus and build on her expertise.
Anna was intrigued by the unique backend engineering opportunity at Immersive, which involved forming a new specialized team and ultimately evolved into a multi-region project. “The technical aspect was a big draw for me,” she said, “It was exactly the kind of challenge I was looking for.”
However, the deciding factor that ultimately sealed the deal with Immersive was the people.
“Every single person I spoke to during the interview process was approachable, welcoming, and genuinely excited about what they were working on. That energy and openness made it clear that this was a place where I could thrive.”
A day in the life of a Senior Backend Engineer
Anna’s role as a senior backend engineer is to support the Immersive Labs platform by building and maintaining a lot of the “behind-the-scenes” functionality. Over the past year, Anna’s expanded her role, making a lateral move into people management. “It’s been a rewarding balance, letting me stay hands-on with the technical side while helping guide and support my teammates.”
Anna outlines a typical day for a senior backend engineer at Immersive Labs as having four main components: team ceremonies, collaboration, hands-on work, and code reviews.
● Team Ceremonies: Joining lightweight team ceremonies, like daily stand-ups, sprint planning, or sprint reviews, depending on where we are in the two-week sprint cycle.
● Collaboration: Working with teammates to define API contracts and helping unblock anyone who’s stuck.
● Hands-On Work: Spending focused time working on my own tickets.
● Code Reviews: Reviewing pull requests from other engineers to ensure quality and consistency.
The backend engineering role combines problem-solving, collaboration, and technical ownership, which Anna appreciates because "it makes every day a little different, but always engaging.”
Finding balance
Work-life balance is important to Anna. “I feel lucky to work for a company that genuinely values balance.” Immersive Labs sets realistic expectations with a “strong culture of sticking to contracted hours” in which no one expects you to be ‘on’ all the time. “Everyone is encouraged to take their holidays, step away during the day for breaks, and properly switch off when the day is done.”
She also values the support from her team and the company as a whole:
“There's a level of flexibility and understanding here that I really value. Whether it’s taking time for appointments or dealing with unexpected life stuff, there’s always flexibility and support to work around it.”
To find balance on a daily basis, Anna starts her days at the gym, getting a workout in before logging on to start her workday. She keeps up her workout regimen with help from Immersive Labs’ Physical Wellness benefit, which provides employees £150 each year to invest in their physical fitness.
Another one of Anna’s favorite perks at Immersive is the company’s annual leave policy.“Earning extra days off the longer you’re with the company, being able to buy more holiday days, and even getting your birthday off—those little things make a big difference for me when it comes to recharging and enjoying time away from work,” says Anna.
Anna’s interests
Along with her professional achievements, Anna is arguably just as productive in her personal life. Outside of work, she spends a lot of my time reading. She's read 130 books this year, and is aiming to beat her record in 2025. Anna also enjoys baking, and is always excited for an excuse to get creative in the kitchen.
Music and theatre are both big parts of Anna’s life as well. “My husband and I go to gigs regularly, and I try to see at least one musical each year.” Anna also sings and is hoping to find a new choir to join in the new year.
Rounding out Anna’s variety of interests is her passion for travel. “In the last couple of years,I’ve taken some memorable trips, including a theme park holiday in Orlando and a trip to Thailand.” While traveling to Japan is next on her list of destinations, she’s already working on planning a West Coast road trip in the U.S. as well.
What makes Immersive Labs stand out
To Anna, there’s one major factor at Immersive Labs that differentiates it from other companies: its people.
“Our team is full of talented and approachable individuals who are always happy to share their knowledge.”
Her team arranges at least one in-person social event each quarter, so even though she works remotely, it’s easy to connect. Whether it’s a quick “tea-room” chat or more formal collaboration, she always has an opportunity to catch up or exchange ideas: “It’s always good to reconnect in person, and I always have a good time catching up with people.”
Advice for those considering applying to Immersive Labs
Anna’s advice for anyone keen on joining the team is to be excited to take advantage of the opportunity: “If you’re someone who thrives on challenges and enjoys solving problems, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to make an impact.” Overall, Anna believes that one of the best things about working at Immersive Labs is having the space for your voice to be heard.
“Whether it’s sharing your ideas or contributing to shaping the way things are done, your input matters here.”
To explore career opportunities at Immersive Labs, visit our website today.