Engineering and Product
Jaime King, Intermediate Full Stack Engineer at ezyVet
From growing up in the country with dial-up internet, to writing software that helps vets all over the world, Jaime has had an interesting journey into working in tech. He shares some insight into his own career path, coupled with some great advice for any budding software engineers or people curious about the culture at ezyVet. Thanks for sharing your story, Jaime.
Firstly, how would you explain to a 5 year old what you do?
I help animal doctors all over the world do their job to keep animals happy and healthy.
“When I was young, I was not techy. I grew up in the country with dial up internet and one computer for a family of five.”
Was working in tech something you dreamed about doing as a kid?
When I was young, I was not techy. I grew up in the country with dial up internet and one computer for a family of five. It was not until late into primary school when I was introduced to technology. From there I started to gain an interest in how it all works and what I could do with it.
Tell us a little bit more about your career journey and ultimately about how you ended up working at ezyVet?
After high school, I knew I either wanted to work as an events technician or as a software engineer. I worked in Hamilton for a year setting up and running events. At the end of the year, I decided I wanted to fast track my career, so I applied for university and spent the next three years studying while continuing to work as an events technician on the side.
During my time studying, I had the opportunity to see what working in the tech industry was like through a summer internship with Waka Kotahi (NZTA). After graduation, I worked for a short time as a developer at a cinema software company until in late 2020, I applied for a job at ezyVet and was offered a position 2 weeks later. I’ve loved it ever since.
Can you share some more insight into what that transition was like?
Transitioning from my previous job was interesting as working as an events technician was a fairly labour intensive job. Software, on the other hand, is mentally intense.
Both industries require heavy amounts of problem solving and time management, so these skills could be transferred easily. Through my time studying, I developed a good base knowledge in many areas of the tech industry that have seen me through to today.
“Software is never truly complete as there is always room for improvement.”
What is it specifically that you like about working in tech relative to your past jobs?
I enjoy working on large, on-going projects. Software is never truly complete as there is always room for improvement. In previous jobs, I would work on jobs / gigs, but it would be a relatively short time between the start and finish, then the cycle starts again.
As an events technician I would also work at any hour of the day or night with one week being very different to the next. Having a consistent start and end time plus a good night's sleep is a nice change.
Do you have any advice for people considering tech as a career path and how they might get there quicker?
My advice would be to just get started, you could do some short courses to get a taste of the work or go for a bachelor's degree like me, and then get a job at a great company. You won't look back. You'll land a fun job that keeps you motivated and challenges you every day.
“The people that I get to work with make my days fun, which is a great way to fuel collaboration.”
What gets you excited about working at ezyVet?
The environment at ezyVet is the best part. The people that I get to work with make my days fun, which is a great way to fuel collaboration. I can also see a lot of opportunities to advance my career and grow at ezyVet. Not to mention all the awesome work perks and the great office that we have in Freemans Bay.
Lastly, ezyVet continues to grow. What kind of candidates do you think ezyVet is looking for in terms of experience, attitude and character?
To best fit in at ezyVet you would be motivated and the kind of person that is always ready to get stuck in and solve problems. Being a team player is a must as we like to collaborate around here.
For experience, I can’t speak for other areas of the business, but in engineering, you’ll be considered if you’re anywhere from self-taught to a senior engineer. We are definitely in growth mode and I don’t see that stopping soon.