Oops, I did it again!
Joining Propeller.
Early last year, I made the decision to join Propeller as a Senior Software Engineer. I was taking a step out of the leadership role which I was in, to focus on solving problems in an interesting technical space — construction tech. The thought that I could learn a lot, whilst also contributing to something awesome was super exciting! The interview process introduced me to many brilliant engineers who have since become amazing mentors and peers, and their deep understanding of a number of complex technologies is such an asset to the company.
The allure of Propeller became clearer as I learned how much my colleagues genuinely love what they get to do each day. The culture of the company as a whole is just incredible, with a calendar packed with social events thanks to our amazing office managers, and a tech stack that is simultaneously mature and solving ground-breaking problems.
Sticking my nose everywhere!
I was so excited to get into all the technical work at Propeller from the beginning, I wedged my way into every project I heard about, and put effort into properly understanding the root causes of the technical challenges Propeller was facing at the time. I was encouraged to suggest possible solutions and to get my hands dirty implementing changes straight away.
I got to know a lot of people and projects purely from my curiosity (aka nosiness). This often came in the form of listening to people’s passions in the kitchen and slacking others about technical questions totally unrelated to my job (sorry Coops and James!). What I discovered from this was an inherent trust between product and engineering at Propeller. Engineers are trusted to design an appropriate solution, product managers are trusted to choose the best features for development. I still find this relationship really special. There is not one person in this office I would not love to get a beer with, they are all such genuine people.
This knowledge about my colleagues’ capabilities and other Propeller projects became super valuable as I moved into a Tech Lead role. Being able to understand the connections between different teams’ targets was indispensable when considering how to implement new changes, and still helps in my role today.
The fruits of my nosiness!
While I was admittedly a little nervous when I was approached by the Head of Engineering about my interest in possibly leading the capture team, the process made the decision easy for me. After spending a month pestering the people team, Head of Engineering and the current capture tech lead with questions about the role, my mind was made up. My only concern going into it was that I could be taken off actual coding but after expressing my desire to stay involved technically, the role turned out to be perfect. Since day one, I’ve been humbled by how welcoming the capture team has made me feel and the experience has been positive to say the least!
Having my cake, and eating it too!
I know what you’re thinking — “Didn’t he just say he was moving away from leadership?”. Well you would be right, but that is the interesting thing that I discovered about myself in this journey. Although I had intentionally moved away from leadership, it became clear to me after joining the team at Propeller just how much I love the people and planning side of software development. Since moving to the capture team, I have found it so rewarding getting to know my team as both colleagues and friends, and getting to have some positive influence and involvement in helping to develop each of their careers.
In this position, I get to focus on the big picture stuff. It’s easy to trust Propeller engineers to build things the right way, so stepping back into a more supportive role where we work together to guide our projects toward the end goal is having the best of both worlds!
Overall, I am naturally quite extroverted and curious. I get excited about my team’s achievements and I just love talking to people and collaborating. Propeller has been so supportive in promoting an environment where everyone is given the opportunity to thrive, both personally and professionally, and I feel lucky to be a part of that.
