What motivated you to join Propra?
I was looking for a new challenge, I really enjoyed the startup life and the speed at which things move within a tech startup. I met with Cathleen and we connected through our common interest in Propra’s tech stack, especially the event driven architecture. Talking to Craig after, about building an accounting module really sealed the deal as it connected my previous work with my passion for computer engineering.
Has the “Start up” mindset shifted the way you work?
The speed of experimentation makes things much different. Within the world of corporate development there is a lot of waiting around for things to be approved which can make it hard to see the impact that you have created within an existing system. I used to have projects that might have been put on hold for 5 years and within Propra you are encouraged to move forward and develop new features to ensure your impact is felt from the customer standpoint.
I also really enjoyed having the opportunity to be vulnerable with the development team here and having the ability to ask any question and get a valuable response when you need it most. Some established professionals may feel afraid to ask questions in fear that they might look silly to their peers within the corporate world and within a tech startup there are no silly questions.
What is Propra’s community like?
I love that I have been here for a month and everyone around me is open to hang out and ask questions especially when there is an overarching challenge within the business. Everyone is very open to helping out within areas they may have prior experience in even if it is not their core function at Propra. Which contributes even more to the community and trust between you and your peers within the workplace especially if you are a junior developer with experience in other fields of work.
What does volunteering with QueerTech amongst other organizations mean to you?
It all began around 2017 when I started thinking about the future of work and what that is going to look like for professionals transitioning to their future roles. I believe that if anyone is looking for a change, volunteering is a really good way to show initiative and grow your skill sets beyond what you have today. Being ready for the future of work has been a big part of my volunteering experience and teaching others to do the same fulfils me.
Volunteering prepares you for the startup lifestyle as well, it teaches you how to drive projects independently of others and make sure you are creating the most value for the end user.
The reason I am so involved within the LGBTQ space is that I truly believe that all workplaces should be inclusive of all people regardless of their life outside of work and that creating an atmosphere like this benefits the business as a whole. I really enjoy seeing people think about work differently than yesterday, there is so much going on around the community in terms of thinking about work differently. It can be extremely impactful when those ideas are implemented into the business.
If you’re interested in working with people like Michael, join our team! Check out our open roles to learn more.
