I Found My Dream Tech Job Straight Out Of High School, And It Wasn’t In A Capital City

Straight from the mouths of our employees, they tell us what it’s like to work at SafetyCulture.

By Brandon Cook, Software Engineer

Location: Townsville

Six months before I joined the team at SafetyCulture I was finishing my final year of high school wondering how and where I could get a job as a software engineer. Townsville, not being known for its exciting tech industry, led me to believe that in order to start a career I would have to leave. For someone who grew up and spent most of my life here, leaving the comfort of my friends and family was daunting. After researching the local tech industry, I found SafetyCulture; not just a startup right on my doorstep but one that was taking off at an amazing pace, opening offices across the globe and gaining international acclaim for its growth and the products that it offers.

I walked in the front door and handed my resume to the first person I saw. We had a conversation about who I was and my willingness to explore an internship or even a full-time position. Partway through our conversation when he mentioned his name I realised that I was actually talking to Luke Anear, the CEO.

About a month later I started my first real job as a junior software engineer. In the few months that followed I grew significantly personally and professionally. To be able to also see SafetyCulture evolve so quickly in such a short period of time has been inspiring. Our customer base is growing at an incredible pace and in the 16 weeks that I have been at SafetyCulture the team has grown by over 13 people, opening an office in the UK and securing new spaces in both Kansas and Sydney. The product has come a long way since then as well. In those four months I have seen the release of SafetyCulture iAuditor for Windows, the launch of the Public Library, On Demand and Restrictive Sync for both iOS and Android, the initial beta of our new Analytics, and numerous more projects that are so close to reaching the hands of our users.

I started working in our continuous improvement team to fix bugs and deliver small features. As my skills were enhanced by my peers, I was able to transition to working on one of our feature teams to help deliver on specific requests from our customers.

During this early stage in my working life, knowing that we are having a positive impact on our users’ lives has been one of the best reasons to get out of the bed in the morning. More importantly we’re able to minimize the risk in real people’s workplaces, which can potentially save lives.

The transition from high school student to software engineer, without having to leave my home town is not something I would not have thought possible. A vibrant and evolving tech industry is exciting for Townsville as it not only gives opportunities for professionals to move to our wonderful city, but a way for young people like me to stay local and still develop skills at what has become a global company.

I am proud to work at a company that showcases the skills of the people who work in Townsville but also serves to showcase the local area. In late August our Shipit Week, some of my coworkers from our offices around the world travelled to our office in Townsville to brainstorm, collaborate and learn from one another. This shows our city is capable of supporting emerging tech companies, which will in time provide even greater opportunities for students, but also serve to bring even more new people into our community.

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If you’re interested in adding some meaning to your own career, we’d love to hear from you. Check out our open positions.

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