I’m a software engineer now, but I was never that little kid obsessed with computers and teaching themselves how to code.
In fact, software development wasn’t on my mind at all — until I had a bit of a soul-searching moment after high school. At the time, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and it seemed like colleges wanted you to be certain about your future path before you even sent in your application.
My parents, who were both coders in the 1980s, suggested that I try coding as a tentative first step into the tech world. So, I enrolled in a coding bootcamp.
I immediately fell in love with it. Not just because I was gaining the technical skills to build stuff (and building stuff is fun) but because it forced me to flex my creative muscles. From day one, we worked on real apps that made a real difference in people’s lives, which meant we had to use our creative side to:
- Discover what users truly wanted
- Design enhancements that matched their expectations
- Execute in extremely limited timeframes
Having that pressure on us was a little scary, but I got used to leaning into the problem-solving process, instead of being afraid of it. And I launched 3 full-stack apps within 12 weeks. That ability to keep learning and pushing forward — even when it feels like you have no idea what’s going on — has stuck with me and is what’s helped me excel in my first few months at Kard.
But before I dive too deep into what I’m doing now, I’ll share more about how I got here.
Developing foundational business and people skills
After the boot camp, I landed a job at a local software consultancy in my home state of Indiana. While I absorbed a ton of practical engineering knowledge during the boot camp, working at a consultancy was like a masterclass in project and people management.
Every time a new client came on board, I had to learn the ins and outs of their tech stack, get a primer on their industry, and build relationships with stakeholders. All that had to happen before I could tackle any coding work. Once my piece was finished, a new project started, and the process happened all over again.
Throughout my time there and at other consulting firms, I learned four major lessons:
- How important it is to focus on the why. Without that as your North Star, you could end up months into a project working on something that wasn't critical in the grand scheme. You and your team are capable of doing so much when you have the right idea and mindset.
- I enjoyed remote work. I’d go so far as to say that working remotely has had a seismic impact on my career and personal life. I’m a much happier, more productive employee, having the freedom to work from anywhere.
- How to work well in a remote setting. All the small natural 'watercooler' moments have to be created intentionally while working remotely. But in my opinion, it makes the result that much more meaningful.
- How valuable being creative truly is. Writing software is ultimately about solving problem after problem after problem. At the end of the day, you have to be willing to stick with it, ask every question that comes to mind, and understand that it will all make sense at some point.
Finding a remote culture where ingenuity is appreciated
I stayed in consulting for several years, but like many folks, I was laid off during the tech struggles of the past year. Instead of harping on this, I saw it as an opportunity to move my career in the direction I wanted — and I knew there was something better out there for me.
With this fresh perspective, I decided to move away from consulting and only pursue product companies with four qualities:
- A product with proven value
- Engineering leaders who created a space where innovation was a must, and learning and mistakes were a valuable part of the software delivery process
- A culture rooted in remote work, that the company actively invested in
- A mindset that creativity and problem solving looks different for every employee, and that all styles are valuable as long as they're delivering true value
In Kard, I found all four.
In other interviews, at least one person or one interview felt “off.” But at Kard, every interview felt intentional and efficient, yet left space for me to share who I am and what I bring to the table.
Even the take-home assignment showed me that Kard was an ideal fit. I knew what I had to do to be successful, but I had the wiggle room to express myself. It seemed like they were looking for the same qualities in me that I was looking for in them. That’s still the case today.
Pitching my own ideas
I’ll admit I was nervous going into my new role at Kard. While I was familiar with the fintech space, the scope and size of Kard’s data was new to me. And yet, I took ownership of a potential feature within the first two weeks of coming on board, and it's now coming up on the product roadmap!
As our VP of Product and Engineering, Gary Poster’s mantra applies to almost every situation we find ourselves in: 'You're a business person first, and your role, second.' If we have or see a brilliant business idea and can define its true business value, it’s likely worth pursuing.
So, when I saw a business idea that had potential but didn’t have someone championing it, I jumped at the opportunity to define and work it — and it involved so much more than just writing code.
This way of working and Gary's encouragement to embrace the product side of things even as a developer gave me the confidence to move forward. I leaned on my consulting skills to understand the customer pain point that originally fueled the idea. I leaned on my creativity to dream up ways to improve it, all within the scope of engineering resources we had. And whenever I got stuck, I leaned on my colleagues.
Some people used to work on the particular feature we were updating or used something similar at a previous company and were more than willing to jump in and share their feedback. Pitching my first idea helped me feel instantly productive at Kard, gave me more conviction in my skills and ideas, and allowed me to spend time with folks across the business who are experts in what they do.
A wealth of opportunity
In a company that takes a business-first approach, software engineers have so many more opportunities to deepen their knowledge of a particular vertical, expand their coding repertoire, and experiment with new ideas.
If you’re getting excited just reading about this, why not apply?
We’ve got some fantastic new roles opening up in engineering and product at Kard, and I want to learn from you! Check out all of our open positions here.
Bonus round: Rituals and obsessions
A Kard ritual I enjoy
At Kard, we’re all about recognizing and rewarding our peers. Like most company Slacks, we have a #shout-out channel, but we’ve taken it to the next level with gamification.
Every day, a tool called HeyTaco gives us 5 tacos to give away to our peers. Sending someone a taco when they answer my question or point me toward a helpful resource is a fun way to express gratitude and makes the other person feel good about making my day easier or brighter. Plus, seeing what others shout each other out for is a great way to promote internal networking and collaboration — I make a mental note of who to go to for what!
What I’m obsessed with
Traveling and working remotely!
Growing up in Indiana, I was exposed to nature, but there were so many more National Parks and areas to explore once I started looking for them! After going on a few backpacking trips with some friends, I decided I wanted to see them all.
Right now, Flagstaff, AZ, is my home base, but I typically plan two to three upcoming road trips at any given time. Two upcoming trips are taking me to the Pacific Northwest to see Crater Lake, the North Cascades, and Olympia, and to the Northeast to see all that Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts have to offer. Being mobile like this is something I never would’ve been able to do if I didn’t work remotely. For that, I’m so grateful.
