Real Talk with Jordan Smith
Meet Jordan Smith, Software Engineer at TaskRabbit and member of /dev/color.
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Education: Ithaca College
A Quote to Live by: “When people show you who they are, believe them.”
Connect with Jordan: on Twitter
Tell us a bit about your early years.
I was originally born and raised in Philadelphia with my three siblings. My parents were both part of Greek life (Delta and Alpha). They decided to move down from New England after getting married to start over. I am truly a product of their values and their parents’ values.
How did you get started in software?
I was really into playing video games when I got to high school. I always thought I’d be growing up to make games, but things changed. I realized that technology and software can be used for more impactful things and decided to be a software engineer when I hit college.
What are you focusing most of your time on now?
A lot of my time now is focused on relationships. After leaving college I began to realize how important relationships are and how hard it is to maintain them when that person doesn’t see you every day. Living here in the Bay Area has taught me some humbling lessons on this subject. You have to be very active to keep your network alive and active. It can get exhausting, but it’s all worth it when people feel comfortable enough being vulnerable coming to you for help and you can deliver.
What is the most interesting technical challenge you’ve worked on recently?
At TaskRabbit I work on the Tasker Application which is the app that thousands use to get work everyday. The software is written in React Native (Javascript) which allows us to write the code once, but it works well for both of the major mobile platforms. Before I came on to the team we had not implemented a way for links outside of the app to bring a user right into the application. So I worked with the team to create a deep-link architecture so that other people in TaskRabbit. could send out links that would bring the user to any part of our app! So if you have our app installed it becomes a super nice user experience, where the alternative would be going to the mobile website.
Please state 2–3 of your current career goals. Why are these important to you?
I really would like to do a technical talk on something I’ve learned so that someone else can benefit. I feel like this is a level up for myself and my technical knowledge if I can help out my peers. I’d also like to contribute to a significant open source project. Open source has helped me so much in my career and I haven’t really given back. This is another goal involving spreading knowledge for the good of others.
Give an example of a recent time you’ve helped a fellow engineer. What lessons can be taken from their situation?
I’ve helped a lot of people with interview prep. It’s something that I struggle with and every time I mock interview someone I learn some new technique that opens my eyes to new ways to approach a technical problem. Recently I was helping a new grad with this. He is looking to begin his professional career as a engineer and I think after every mock interview you enter the real thing with a confidence that is contagious.
In what areas can /dev/color members reach out to you for help?
If you are a young /dev/color member just coming into the industry I know what that feels like because I just went through it. I know a lot of others who just went through it, so reaching out to me to navigate adulthood in the software world I can definitely help with. I also primarily work with Ruby on Rails and React Native. I’m hesitantly confident that I wouldn’t be completely lost when a question about either of these comes to me.
As a member of /dev/color you are also committed to developing yourself. Can you share some areas you are looking to improve?
I would really like to be a better ally to those with less privilege than me. I know that I’m not at the bottom and I want to help those seen by society as below me to be successful. That’s part of the reason I joined /dev/color because I believe that there is a mindset of progress and help that move the organization forward.
Can you speak about any passions outside of programming?
I’m really into film and visuals. I think that industry and medium has even more potential that has not been tapped. I get really excited seeing beautiful cinematography in a move or seeing a show that put a lot of thought into character development.
Why is being a part of an organization like /dev/color important to you?
Before /dev/color I had no support system from older engineers who are way later in their career. I think the knowledge and experience I soak up from my squad meetings are priceless and I’m glad /dev/color has given us a space to do that. It also gives me a voice and a chance to use what I’ve learned to give knowledge to those looking to receive it.
Anything else you’d like to say/express?
/dev/color is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower Black software engineers to help one another grow into industry leaders. We create environments where Black software engineers can learn from one another and hold one another accountable for reaching ambitious career goals. To learn more, check out our website and follow our blog & twitter account.
