hey! my name's kelli landry. 👆 that's me!

first impressions are everything so, i'm a hufflepuff, an infj-t, & was once described by a former boss as the 🦄 unicorn extrovert among our team of developers.

for the past seven years, i've been pursuing careers in the software development space. what started off as taking a job to make sure i could eat that month, turned into an unexpected journey through the south's silicon valley. during my tenure at waitr, now asap, i had a unique opportunity to go from food delivery driver to junior software developer. those 3.5 years went by rapidly; i learned how fast business changes while working in a startup, how valuable it is to think on your feet, what it means to really dig into processes to weed out the inefficiencies, and probably the most fun of all, contribute to a growing product with some of the most hardworking people i've ever met.

after leaving waitr for other opportunities, i pursued other startups, consulting agencies, and even a construction corporation in need of a full stack developer. while i loved my time at these companies, i've rarely been able to find a sense of purpose. do i love coding? yes. do i want to make a career out of it? i'm finding out that i can no longer answer that in the affirmative. what i've found out in more recent months while being a scrum master is that i work best when i get to help build up individuals, develop processes for their success, refine projects and programs to operate at their highest efficiency, and collaborate with teams in different departments to establish continued communication. all of that is my fancy way of saying that i thrive when i get to talk to people about projects that we all care about.

i used to joke a couple of years ago that i would never use my degree again. i graduated with a degree in child and family studies, which translates to social work. after trying it on for size as an office manager for a psychiatrist, an ABA therapist for children with autism, and a traveling case manager, i had to put my mental health first. burn out is real, but, i believe it's 100% in my DNA to help others. that has never faded despite taking a grand leap out of that field. however, stepping into the scrum master role which also required project and program management as well as employee engagement solidified that i needed to make a shift back to the core of social work which is building community. while i actively re-enter the job market, i have hope that there is a home where i will be able to ignite change, bring to life an initiative, and build up individuals to show up authentically.

l'ache pas, kelli landry, 3 june 2023