How did you find yourself at Media Suite (MadeCurious)?
I’d actually been fan-girling over Media Suite for a long time before I applied for a front-end developer position I saw advertised on their website. The story of how I got there is a bit of a long one, though.
I’d just finished studying when the earthquakes hit Christchurch. I had been working part-time as a forecourt attendant to pay the rent until I could find a web development job, but in the days following the quakes, we were working all-day shifts just to keep up with demand.
A lot of petrol stations couldn’t open due to damage, and there were fears of fuel shortages, so the road was permanently backed up with people queuing to fill up their cars and gas bottles. It was nice to feel like I was helping, but seeing the amount of trauma people were dealing with and working non-stop eventually took its toll.
A couple of weeks later, after the pressure at work had eased slightly, I resigned and returned home to Timaru to pause and and process what had happened.
I think it was only my second day home when my mum informed me that she’d lined up a meeting with one of the few web companies in Timaru at the time: Verb. I was still in a bit of a funk but I appreciated her trying to help, so I went along, as shy and nervous as I was. They asked what kind of work I wanted to do, and I told them I was willing to do anything, but that I quite liked CSS. Their faces lit up immediately, and I was hired on the spot.
I eventually moved back to Christchurch and continued working for Verb remotely (from above Pomeroy’s Pub in a shared office space with the teams from Felt and Builderscrack). I was so appreciative that my boss, Hamish, had taken a chance on me, but after four years at Verb, I was really keen to push my skills in a slightly larger team. I’d been following Media Suite for quite a while, so when I noticed a new job listing on their site, I immediately applied - nope, scratch that - got imposter syndrome, told myself I wasn’t good enough to work there, and took several months to pluck up the courage to apply. Yep.
Eventually, I took the plunge and applied for the job. I was invited in for what turned out to be a very informal interview and got offered the job not long after—in spite of the fact that I accidentally kicked Abi and George’s dog, Mati, when I failed to realise she’d snuck in under the stool. Luckily, Mati and I became good pals after our disastrous first encounter (this may or may not have involved snack-based bribes).
When you started, what was your role, and what did that involve?
I came on board primarily to help Andrew with all our WordPress sites. I hadn’t worked with WordPress before, so I was really lucky to have the world’s most patient teacher show me the ropes (thanks, Andrew!). We were managing A LOT of marketing sites for small businesses back then, so I think Andrew was glad to have some help once I got up to speed!
How has coaching played a role in your time here?
Coaching at MadeCurious has evolved over time, but it’s become a part of the culture that I really cherish. It’s really nice to have the time and space to pause and reflect on how things are going with someone you know is always in your corner. As mentioned earlier, imposter syndrome is something I’ve always struggled with, and my coach, Steve, has really helped me with that over time.
More recently, I’ve taken on a couple of coachees myself which has been a really rewarding new challenge. I still feel like I have lots to learn in this space but am really enjoying it so far. It of course helps that my coachees, Jess and Mandy, are pretty awesome ;). I’ve long been an advocate for getting more females into tech so getting the opportunity to help coach some of our talented wāhine at MadeCurious is something I’m really grateful for.
Back when I started, I was the only female developer on the team so seeing the development team now being roughly 35% female is definitely a step in the right direction. Would absolutely love to see us (and the industry as a whole) continue to increase that percentage by removing as many barriers as possible.
How did your role evolve over the years?
While the type of work I’m doing hasn’t changed too much (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are still my bread and butter), my focus has evolved. In the early days, I thought the most valuable thing I could be doing for the company (and our partners) was to save the full-stack developers from CSS - I mean - write great front-end code and build quality UIs for our end users.
Over time, though, I realised helping others develop their own front-end skills was much more valuable (and rewarding). Ensuring all our developers feel a sense of ownership and autonomy when building UIs and thinking about UX and accessibility is definitely my happy place these days.
How has the front-end landscape changed since you started, and how have you (and the company) adapted?
Probably the biggest shift has been the growing popularity of Single-page App frameworks and how we navigate both the advantages and the trade-offs in using tools like React to build solutions for our partners. I love developing in React, but I still think we need to be asking the right questions about what our partners actually need to solve their problems. In a lot of cases, React will provide enough value to warrant the added complexity it introduces, but the flip side can also be true sometimes.
The other (more recent) shift, of course, is the explosion of AI tools and how we leverage them to do more with less, in a way that doesn’t compromise quality or limit options in the future.
A lot has happened over the last 10 years; what are some highlights?
- Abi and George’s dog Mati setting the standards sky-high for all the office dogs that would follow in her footsteps ❤️
- Our Christmas party road trip to Marlborough Sounds (to test out our Cruise Guide app, of course).
- Contributing to and then fruitlessly trying to climb to the top of our custom Foosball league app (‘Foosilator’). I bow down to Andrew’s mad foos skills.
- Getting the opportunity to help build practical tools that actually help people make positive change in the world.
- Slack threads that end up way down an obscure rabbit hole.
- Cake. Lots of cake.
What are your biggest takeaways or lessons learned from the last 10 years?
- Replace the mindset of “I can’t do that” with “I can’t do that, yet.”
- The only way to get better at things you find scary is to do the scary things more often (for me, it was speaking in front of people).
- Cake makes everything better.
- Great culture starts at the top and is about what you do (not just what you say you’ll do). If you’re fortunate enough, you’ll work for a leader who gets this.
What would you tell your younger self starting at MadeCurious?
If you see an opportunity for improvement, follow that curiosity. The beauty of this place is that we’re all problem-solvers at heart, so don’t ever feel like it’s not your place to suggest something. Chances are there’s a good reason we’re doing something a certain way, but at least you’ll learn why if you ask the question (and perhaps you’ve sparked someone else’s curiosity by asking them to reflect upon past decisions).
What's your favorite memory from your time at MadeCurious?
I honestly don’t think I can narrow it down to a single big memory! Do I have fond memories of the two days it took Andrew to notice that I’d changed his name to ‘Susan’ in Slack? Yes, of course. Are there particular projects and organizations we’ve partnered with that I really enjoyed being a part of? Heaps! Do I also have great memories of numerous mid-winter Christmas lunches, wildly eclectic kitchen banter, Christmas parties, team lunches, and even our very own bingo night? Absolutely.
So to summarise, my best memory is all the little moments wrapped into one. That’s my non-answer (sorry, not sorry).
If someone is thinking about working at MadeCurious, what would you say are the best parts about the job (or the company) itself?
This may seem counterintuitive (given we’re a tech company), but the best part of both the job and the company is the people. It says a lot that we spend a large chunk of our time together each week but still turn up at each other’s housewarmings, weddings, local planting events, etc. The people who work here are the kind of people who say they’ll help you shift on the weekend and then actually turn up, or the ones who ask “what can I do to help” in the hard times and mean it. We own our mistakes and give each other space to learn from them. It is genuinely a privilege to have worked alongside so many good humans here. This, more than anything, is the reason I’m still here 10 years later.
Oh, and the cake. Did I mention that there’s never a shortage of cake around here? ;)
