My journey begins in 2014. I graduated high school in spring and like many of my peers, I went off to college in fall. Things went okay at the start; I was enjoying my journey. Along the way I realized that I was a bit lost. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Between that feeling of being lost and some medical issues I was facing, I ultimately decided it was best to leave college, which is what I did in the spring of 2017.

After leaving college, I knew that I needed to keep myself busy and do some soul searching, alongside healing. I met a friend who had recently started working in the HVAC industry and decided to take him up on an offer to become an employee for a contracting company.

Along the way, I learned many skills and worked with my hands. This career gave me a much greater appreciation for workers in the blue-collar work trades. One thing that really stood out to me along this journey was the focus on problem solving that was a part of every single day of my life as an HVAC installer.

Problem solving has always been the core of what I enjoy about the various jobs I’ve worked in the past. Education has also always been very important to me; I knew that one day I would return to university to finish a degree. The decision came to me in spring of 2021, when I realized I was unhappy at my current point in life. When deciding what degree to pursue, one stuck out the most, Computer Science.

The next 3 years were filled with hard work, studying, internships, research studies and apprenticeships. The more I learned about programming, the more fascinated I became with the field. Problem solving will always be the core of this field. Something I fell in love with and will never get tired of.

Why I Chose Colorkrew

Colorkrew stood out to me in many ways. Their mission and core values really stuck with me. I found a lot of value in an environment where you can learn quickly and grow fast.

The vast knowledge and diversity that is present at Colorkrew allows new employees to integrate quickly and contribute to software that helps thousands in their daily work lives. This really resonated with me.

During life, I feel like you are always where you are meant to be. Working hard and taking consistent steps forward in your career and personal life will never go unrewarded.

In many ways, I feel like Colorkrew found me. After graduation I worked hard to find a company that would accept me with open arms and allow me to grow as a fresh computer science graduate. The search was long and hard, but hard work is always paid back. When I stumbled upon Colorkrew, something inside me said “this is the one”, and the rest is history!

My Journey at Colorkrew

My journey at Colorkrew so far has been one of the most rewarding and rich experiences I’ve had in my entire life.

As a fresh graduate, the reality that college doesn’t fully prepare you for the work force set in very quickly when starting my first real job post-graduation.

It’s been an amazing 4 months since I joined the company, the mentorship and direction I’ve received has allowed me to grow at an amazing pace. The confidence I feel in my work, and role within the company is unmatched. My motivation stays at top level, and each day is a new challenge alongside a rewarding experience.

My Role at Colorkrew

I’m currently a Junior Saas Engineer that works on the Colorkrew Biz team. I work on a variety of sections of our all-encompassing office Saas software. Whether it be bug fixes, minor features, or much larger features, even as a junior I’m allowed to take on these tasks.

I’m allowed to work on as big of or as small of a task as I choose. There is plenty of direction and an extra perk of freedom. You are given a task, and if you see other optimizations or ways to make the codebase or app better, you are encouraged to take these on! What a breath of fresh air, the rigidity found in other companies is nonexistent.

The BIZ Team

One of the things I really love about my team at Colorkrew is the collaboration among team members that exists. Everyone is very talented, and it allows for smooth development and solid advice.

My team happens to be the largest development team currently at Colorkrew. You may think this would make it difficult to collaborate or work together, but it’s entirely the opposite. My leaders do a wonderful job of keeping a small team family feel for a much larger team, which is an effort that is immensely appreciated.

All my team members are wonderful people, who are experts in many different fields. Whether it be frontend, backend, full stack, UI/UX, etc. If I have a question or need help with something, someone on my team is always there to give good advice and help point me in the right direction.

Enjoyable Moments at Work

This is a topic that has a two-part answer.

One part is the atmosphere and friendliness. There are always smiles and good vibes when greetings are exchanged each day. I feel welcomed into the company with open arms from the second I set foot inside the office. My coworkers have become some of the best friends I’ve made in a long time, and it’s so much fun being able to work hard together and enjoy each other’s company outside of working hours. We eat lunch and dinner together. We also enjoy weekends going out and doing fun activities!

The second part to this topic is the enjoyment I get from my actual work. There is this moment when working on a bug, feature or large project when the task is completed and your fixes/features work properly. I call it my “ah-hah” moment. Programming is a difficult profession, but the good feeling I get from having satisfaction that my hard work has contributed to the development of the company and will eventually aid our customers in their day to day lives is unmatched!

Support Received

Colorkrew helped me at every step of the way during the interview process and when going through the arduous process of moving to Japan.

Moving to a new country and starting a new job are both very difficult tasks. The company and specifically the HR department made sure to keep a clear line of communication at every step of the way. I was informed about procedures, things that needed to be done beforehand, statuses of various international documents etc.

While both processes are very difficult, I think Colorkrew does a fantastic job of helping guide you along the way.

Also, there is support for language learning. I was thankful that Japanese wasn’t required to be spoken/read/written when applying for the job. As a resident in a foreign country, I think it’s important and respectful to learn the language where you live. Colorkrew enables this by giving learning support for learning Japanese which is something I’m very grateful for!

Message to Future Candidates

Whether you’re a fresh graduate or a seasoned engineer, and you’re looking for a fast-paced work environment that encourages to take on challenges, I think Colorkrew is the right choice for you.

The work environment is a very rewarding place to be. It’s always good to have fun and enjoy your work, but I’m happy that Colorkrew allows you to do this while keeping expectations realistic. You need to be able to work hard and keep up with the speed. It’s important, and thankfully you have a lot of great mentorship and guidance to help keep you on the path to a long successful career in computer science.