Gregory Gould, Developer at MOBI

From dreaming of becoming a doctor to cooking up code, Gregory Gould, Developer at MOBI had a narrow view what tech was in his younger years, however a natural inclination to diagnosing and solving problems has lent well to his current role.

We caught up with Gregory to learn more about his career journey, his take on some of the common misconceptions about the role software developers play, as well as some career advice for others that might be considering tech as a career path. Thanks for sharing your story, Gregory.

Firstly, how would you explain to a five year old what it is you do?

I’m a cook, but for numbers. Computers can do some things for me like: chop, mix, fry and eat.

And then I write down the instructions for the computer to do it for me, like chop onion, mix with salt, then fry. Then the computer follows the instructions I wrote faster than I can, over and over again.

And for the adults, what does that translate to in regards to your day-to-day?

Basically, expectation management. People who order food online want that food in the exact way they intended it, and sometimes they don’t know how to ask for it. Restaurants want the same outcome, just on the other side.

So we have discussions with clients, internal design meetings and a lot of time “instruction writing” to ensure we meet those expectations! If expectations aren’t meant, we do a lot of problem-solving to see if it’s something we can fix, and prioritise all those things together!

What are some of the common misconceptions about working in Software Engineering?

Social engagement. Not only do you engage with a team of people who are trying to solve the same problems you are, but you also get to talk to and help people around the world who are trying to solve similar problems!

There’s not nearly enough pizza involved, and it’s not as complicated as you might think!

Was working in tech something you dreamed about doing as a kid, if not what was?

I really liked tech, but I never thought it was something that I would get into. I had a narrow minded notion of what tech was going to be, and wasn’t aware of just how many different kinds of people need to be involved to make everything work!

Tell us a little bit more about your career journey and ultimately about how you ended up working at MOBI?

I grew up strongly wanting to be a doctor. I loved that how you were feeling was caused by something, and by identifying that something you could help people feel better or in the very least help them understand themselves.

As I grew up, I realised that computers are really similar to humans in a lot of ways, and that you could solve some very similar problems much faster and more broadly than in medicine, as well as enabling flexibility to do more than just your job.

Taking that notion, I decided to travel before deciding exactly what I wanted to do, and on a whim reached out to MOBI after experiencing their software. Two years later, the rest is history I got to travel and work in tech and work with people in similar situations everyday!

What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?

A lot of people live to work, or work to live. Why not do a little of both?

Do you have any advice for people considering tech as a career path and how they might get there quicker?

Talk to some people in tech, ask them to explain some of the problems they’re solving. Everyone’s going to have their own unique barriers to entry, but it’s all about how you approach those hurdles rather than the hurdles themselves.

Everyone has them, you just have to decide whether they stop you - or if you practice until you get it.

Lastly, MOBI continues to grow and evolve. What kind of candidates do you think MOBI is looking for in terms of experience, attitude and character?

MOBI benefits from having a substantial breath of experience, attitude, and character. Some are better for certain tasks, and not for others, but overall a desire to solve problems, and the fortitude to make things better is something that will benefit all of us.