Although Donald doesn’t work directly with our members, he still gets to work on projects that involve our community. From coding and working on application processes to learning more about the world of leasing apartments, Donald has gained a lot of experience in his first few months at Common.
Keep reading to learn about Donald, what his role at Common looks like, and why he enjoys what he does. Head to www.common.com/careers to learn more about our company, our values, and how you can join our team.
Hi Donald! What’s your day-to-day like at Common?
I’m a Full Stack Software Developer and I spend most of my time programming new features. Most of my work is focused on improving our member application and onboarding experiences.
On a daily basis, I usually spend most of my time writing code. There are also necessary meetings with my program manager, Genie Douglass, other stakeholders, and fellow programmers to make sure we stay on track. One of the ways we keep aligned is with our daily standup. This is 15 minutes where we give a synopsis of what we’ve been doing over the past day and plan to do over the next day.
I also spend some time troubleshooting tickets. Sometimes these tickets turn into a bit of a detective or archeological hunt for finding the root cause of a problem. On one level, these can be quite fun and interesting because they usually illustrate some edge case that needs to be fixed!
What’s your favorite part about working at Common?
Beyond the interesting technical challenges that we need to solve for our members and to support our teams, I love the people and culture at Common because we really do function as a team. We have a great, ego-less culture where everyone is willing to teach and learn from each other.
What’s one surprising thing you’ve learned in your current role?
The complexity of apartment leasing. I also had a vague understanding that there was probably a lot of variability across the US but being able to see these details up close is eye-opening. There are a lot of differences that we need to accommodate while maintaining our experience.
What was your first week at Common like?
My first week at Common was busy and fun! As a Developer, the first thing we do is to get our development environment set up. These environments are the software that we use to make other software. Once we have that going, we can jump into the code and start to understand how the various pieces of software work by themselves and together. To help me get my footing, the Development team had a series of easy code improvements and fixes for me to do. It was a great way to hop in and start contributing to the team. These were real fixes that needed to be done and not just ‘toy’ problems to solve.
How has your role changed since you started?
I’ve only been at Common since October, so my role hasn’t changed much. As I’ve gained more understanding and competence in all of our systems, I’ve been able to offer more constructive feedback and insight. I’m really looking forward to what I’ll be able to contribute six months from now!
Some fun stuff:
Which city are you based in and what do you love about it? Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I love the beach and all the great outdoor activities on and off the water.
Favorite hobby? Anything with my dog Mr. Buddy. He enjoys walks and chasing iguanas.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Indiana Jones or Fox Mulder
Your favorite team outing/bonding activity (a virtual hang out counts)? Getting to know everyone’s outside hobbies
Favorite place? Beach
Are you looking for the next move in your career? We’re looking for personable people to join our Sales, Member Experience, Property Services, and other teams across the country. Head to our Careers page to learn more and apply!