Meet Mohammad Samman, Software Engineer
What was your experience prior to Goalbook?
Before Goalbook, I worked as a software engineer at a hearing aid startup. This was my first job out of college. I briefly worked on a personal side project between that job and joining the Goalbook team.
My favorite parts of being on a small software team is that I get to work on all the different parts of our applications.
What gravitated you towards Goalbook’s mission?
Goalbook as a company is genuine. A lot of tech companies have mission statements that are crafted to sound good on paper, but are not reflected in their practices. Goalbook’s mission is admirable and it is an accurate reflection of our goals as a company.
What is your role, and what are your favorite parts of it?
I am a software engineer and one of my favorite parts of being on a small software team is that I get to work on all the different parts of our applications.
Outside of the role, what are one or two things you love here?
The number one thing I love about Goalbook are the people that work here. I feel like my peers here have a professional level of caring and respect that is hard to find at other companies.
How do you work and communicate with your manager?
Communication lines with my manager are very open. Most of the time, it’s as simple as walking over to his desk and talking to him. If we are both busy or working remotely, Google Hangouts is usually the go-to option. We communicate via email or a project management application called Asana if our questions or updates arise at an odd hour, or if it is a less urgent matter.
Since I’ve started working at Goalbook in 2015, we’ve adopted many new practices and technologies to keep our technology stack current. In addition to learning lots of new things, I have deepened my understanding of familiar tools and sharpened my skills with them.
What have you learned in your role so far?
Tons! Since I’ve started working at Goalbook in 2015, we’ve adopted many new practices and technologies to keep our technology stack current. In addition to learning lots of new things, I have deepened my understanding of familiar tools and sharpened my skills with them. It would be impossible to enumerate all that I learned concisely.
What are some areas you’d like to continue growing professionally?
In terms of growing professionally, there are a lot of exciting DevOps projects that I would love to get some hands-on experience with.
What personal goals have you set outside of work?
A long standing goal of mine is to contribute more to Open Source Software (OSS) projects. I’ve made some minor contributions in the past, but I would like to be a main contributor to an OSS project once I find one that speaks to me!
What are some of your favorite spots in San Mateo/San Francisco?
One of my favorite restaurants is Himawari in San Mateo, it serves amazing ramen and I love the music and ambiance. It is definitely the most underrated ramen option in San Mateo.
What’s your favorite memory during your time at Goalbook?
Our seasonal company-wide events are always a great time. It’s a lot of fun to see and talk with folks who work remotely full-time and whom I would only interact with through Hangouts. Lots of good memories from these events!
Which team activity has been your favorite?
My favorite team activity is escape room. Even more so because I was on the only group at Goalbook to have successfully escaped!
Find out why other members of the Goalbook Team are excited about their roles and our work.
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