Wonolo
Wonolo’s innovative technology platform is built by some of the most talented software engineers in Silicon Valley. Over the last few years, the engineering team at Wonolo has continued attracting top notch talent, and one of our new members is Savy Brandt. She is a Front End Software Engineer, and focuses on maintaining and improving our Customer Portal where Wonolo’s customers post jobs.
Having followed such a diverse career path prior to engineering, Savy is one of the rare engineers who bring so much empathy and compassion into her work. She shares what it’s like to be a software engineer at Wonolo.
What inspired you to become a software engineer?
I worked a lot of different types of jobs before finding software engineering. From those experiences, I learned that what was most important to me in my career was being able to build things, help people, work on a team and feel challenged. Software engineering provided all of those things.
I had no experience and didn’t have the means to go to college and try to get a CS degree or anything like that, but a friend recommended trying a coding boot camp where they teach you how to write code and how to find a job after. I put myself through a 3-month intensive program in SF and it was one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I love the challenge and fun of solving problems and constantly learning and improving.
Why did you decide to join Wonolo?
I think the most important part of any place you work at is the people. From the first time I walked into Wonolo, I felt welcome. I remember nervously sitting in the interview room and looking through the window to see one of my future coworkers giving me a comforting wave.
Everyone seemed super humble and kind, and clearly passionate about helping people find work. When I started my job search I knew that I wanted to contribute to something that helped others and I was so happy to find a company that was aligned with that goal.
What keeps you going every day?
I want our users to have the best experience possible when using our product. The idea of there being some bug or some confusing or inconvenient flow that users have to deal with bothers me. I want to fix it and improve it. I’m driven by the company goal of providing people with jobs and my role in that is making sure that the people posting those jobs have an easy and enjoyable time doing it.
My team also keeps me going. I feel so lucky to work with such a wonderful group of people and to collaborate and solve problems together.
What advice would you give to those who are exploring a career path in software engineering?
There are a million resources online that can help you get started and I’m a big fan of coding boot camps since that’s how I got my start. Most importantly, make sure you’re excited about learning and being challenged. If you’re passionate about it you can do it.
What do you do outside of work for fun?
My time outside of work is mainly split between playing video games with my boyfriend and practicing yoga. I’ve consistently practiced yoga for about 8 years and even spent some time working at different studios and teaching kids yoga. My favorite style of yoga is Vinyasa and my favorite games are The Last of Us and the Metal Gear franchise.
Interested in learning more or working with Savy? Please check out our career opportunities.
