Thriving in an egoless environment: Thomas Choo, Senior Software Developer at Hootsuite
By: Hootsuite Careers
Tags: Learning, Software Development, Impact

Thriving in an egoless environment: Thomas Choo, Senior Software Developer at Hootsuite

Recently, we spoke with Thomas to ask him about the problems he gets to solve, the best part about coming to work every day and what learning looks like at Hootsuite for developers. Read on to learn more. Hootsuite Careers Follow Mar 15, 2019 · 3 min read

Why did you decide to work at Hootsuite?

I decided to work at Hootsuite mostly because of the many great things I had heard about the company. I was interested in getting to work with more cutting edge technologies and experiencing a positive workplace culture.

The technologies I get to work with here enable us to develop software code using programming languages designed with simplicity in mind. I’ve also had the opportunity to write code to build and change infrastructure with versioning—which has been a cool experience.

“Connecting the work we do with making an impact is innate to my team.”

Some team members and me after a bootcamp session at HQ

What excites you about coming to work every day?

I always look forward to the opportunity to work on challenging problems that impact customers — while working with smart, passionate, egoless colleagues. One of the things I love most about the culture now that I’m at Hootsuite has to be the egoless environment. I think this plays a big part in allowing us to work effectively and efficiently together.

For example, there was a day where we had an issue with one of the systems my team is responsible for, and one of my colleagues—without prompt—asked how they could help. This colleague was already incredibly busy with existing work but decided to put the team’s needs first.

Another proud accomplishment: after 12 hours of hiking Black Tusk!

What has been your best accomplishment at Hootsuite so far?

One accomplishment that stands out is working with my team to redesign and implement a system, which ultimately allowed for easier mechanisms in providing features to customers based on what they have paid for.

I like knowing that the work I do impacts customers because it then allows me to develop the right things. In the same way that understanding your audience when writing an article is important; there is no difference when it comes to developing software. Knowing who you are building something for is key.

Connecting the work we do with making an impact is innate to my team; we are responsible for the systems that maintain customer’s billing and entitlements.

What are some examples of the problems you get to solve at work?

We solve new problems every single day at Hootsuite. My work usually will involve finding answers to the following questions:

How do we integrate our existing service with external services in a flexible and scalable manner? How do we migrate data from one system to another with minimal to no impact?

What does learning and growth look like for a software developer at Hootsuite?

Hootsuite provides many avenues for learning and growth for a developer, from having a dedicated learning budget to offering a dynamic mentorship program.

I’ve taken advantage of what Hootsuite offers on several occasions. This includes everything from being able to attend an industry conference to purchasing new technical books to grow my skills.

I believe that learning doesn’t need to stop after finishing one’s formal education; it’s a lifelong journey. One of the biggest things I have learned in my time at Hootsuite is how to provide constructive and inclusive feedback when reviewing someone’s software code. The ability to provide feedback in a respectful and helpful manner is something I’ll be able to apply to all aspects of my life and future.