A Whole New Path for Me
Helping others to better themselves is not a standard job perk for a web developer. There are many opportunities out there for someone who can build web applications, but this was the first that resonated personally. My career has spanned over two decades, but I feel like Gloo has opened a whole new path for me.
I have someone very dear to me in my life who did a lot of good as a Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counselor. They spent their professional career working at a methadone clinic. A methadone clinic is a treatment facility for those attempting to recover from heroin addiction. Heroin addiction and the speed with which it destroys a person is frightening. This individual spent most of their days trying to reach addicts who had no interest in recovery. Rather than be frustrated, they found great fulfillment in helping those few who genuinely wanted to recover. I still look at this person in awe for their struggle and commitment.
I have always felt that this person's daily job of doing good is a noble calling, and it humbled me. As a software developer, I didn’t see that my professional career could be rewarding in that way.
A pain point of my dear friend’s job was the long periods of disconnect. They only saw their patients once every two weeks. I know they worried during that time if their patients were attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings, or were they having trouble. How much better would it have been if they had a safe way to connect between office visits?
"I may not be the one teaching a child to read, but I can be the one to assist a teacher in maximizing their efforts."
How much could this person’s work, and the thousands of people in careers like theirs, benefit from a platform that could keep clients engaged? This is what Gloo means to me. Joining Gloo was my way to find the answer to that question.
An Emotionally Rewarding Career
In a professional capacity, I’m not going to improve the education of inner-city youths directly, support addicts in staying clean, or build homes for the homeless. But what I can do is support all of those efforts. I can help create an experience Champions will want to use to encourage their clients. I may not be the one teaching a child to read, but I can be the one to assist a teacher in maximizing their efforts.
Web development is an exciting career that I enjoy. Thanks to Gloo my career can also be emotionally rewarding. Now I go to work knowing that not only am I doing good work, but I also know that my work is doing good.
If you want a job where you know your work will do good in the world, I encourage you to take a look at our jobs page.