What I enjoy the most as a software engineer at Compass — Tim Well Said

I just celebrated my first anniversary here at Compass as a software engineer. It has been a rewarding year for me. Here are a few things I enjoy the most.

Moving Fast

Moving fast this is the first thing I noticed when I joined Compass. It is not a coincidence that it is one of the Entrepreneurial Principles here at Compass. Everyone here is biased towards action and does their best to get things done. I am surrounded by engineers who share the same passion, and they always collaborate without ego. We motivate each other to do better. Every day I log on to my laptop pumped to get my workday started. Within the first months, I can already make significant contributions to the team. I very much appreciate all the inventment my team has put in me. It feels good to get a shoutout from the leadership on the engineering excellence improvement I did.

Working with Compass Agents

Being a Compass software engineer, I get to work with our customers, Compass Agents. I used to see real estate agents negatively. In my eyes, they suck out a commission on every transaction and put in little to no work. This job has changed my mind. Compass Agents are among the most driven and hardworking people I have met. It is such a unique privilege for me to hear their stories and participate in building the best real estate platform for them.

I joined a workplace group called 6AMers. We motivate each other to bring out the best of ourselves. I can personally see how Compass agents use the platform and leverage it in day-to-day business. I also helped organize an agent panel for sell-side workflow engineering virtual offsite. Agents with different roles talked about how they use the platform and how we can best help. I am so happy to be in this environment where I can see my impact on the customers. It inspired me to do the job better every day.

Ample Opportunities

As a Compass engineer, I can wear many hats and have ample opportunities to train on different skillsets. I am the tech lead on a small team. I get to have a lot more independence and ownership. I laid out plans for my team’s technical designs and executed them. I presented architecture proposals to senior engineer leaders. I have access to many experienced engineers; they mentor me and guide me in my career. I worked with both product and design to help make the best experience for our customers. I represent Compass and help recruit and interview candidates. I also took on the role of the incident commander one time, resolved an ongoing issue, and hosted a postmortem to learn from the experience. These experiences made my job more fulfilling and helped me become a well-rounded engineer. Thank you, Compass!

Compass Cares

I can really feel that Compass cares about the employees working here. Whether it is from my manager, teammates, or just someone I just come across. I am truly happy here. We had many virtual and physical gatherings to bring people together. We had the whole gratitude week off last year to spend time with our loved ones outside of work. We get fitness and education expenses covered up. Indoor cycling and meditation have become my new favorite activities. Compass has been taking care of me so that I can better focus on getting the growing ourselves and helping the team.

Right now, I am on parental leave for my newborn baby. It has been a seamless process so far. I am grateful to my team and the HR team for making this possible.

Originally published at https://timwellsaid.com on March 16, 2022.