Not just a job: How these techies landed jobs doing what they love

It's not just a job.

Companies around the world are getting creative in their efforts to help their employees stay as happy as humanly possible, but now — more than ever — there are opportunities for professionals to work in industries aligned closely with problems they want to solve and things they enjoy while getting paid to do it.

We spoke with a few tech employees who were able to land jobs doing work that matters to them about what it's like — and how they were able to get there.

 

 

If you took music lessons as a child, you likely used a book published by Alfred. While the company still prints books for aspiring musicians in a number of languages, the company has incorporated a technical element to its musical education business in the form of e-books and original audio and visual content. In the company's LA headquarters, many of the employees are trained musicians, and impromptu jam sessions are not at all out of the ordinary. We spoke with sales rep Yousef Alhaddad to learn more.

How did Alfred's status as a giant in the music education industry play into you taking the position?

Alfred’s mission played a huge role in taking this position. Music has brought so much joy and fulfillment to my life and to know that I am playing a pivotal role in someone else’s musical journey brings a great sense of satisfaction. I am constantly striving to better myself as a musician, so it feels awesome helping other people across the country do the same.

How does that mission affect the company’s culture?

The mission fosters the best work environment I’ve ever had the pleasure of being a part of. I may be biased, but I’m a strong believer that musicians are inherently cooler than the general public. This works out great for me as I am surrounded by kindred spirits 40 hours a week. Being able to talk shop musically is great for the soul, but it also helps each of us do our jobs better. 

What's it like working for a company where music plays such a big role?

It feels good knowing that I’m making a difference in a person’s life. An order for instructional material and sheet music can seem like nothing more than numbers on a piece of paper, but sometimes you find yourself looking at an item as each individual kid’s personal treasure. The other day, I was sending over some Suzuki violin school books to one of my favorite dealers, and I found myself imagining the kid that would be using this book. Picturing him or her growing musically with time spent working on that book, knowing they would be feeling that same irreplaceable happiness I have felt that comes from progressing as a musician.

 

 

 

Helen Lee and Christine Carrillo’s mission to change the way people make decisions about their healthcare didn’t originate inside some swanky corporate office downtown or in a parent’s garage, but rather, it started at a party at the behest of a friend who was completely bamboozled by how the healthcare system worked.

Why did you start JOANY?

It all started when my co-founder Christine [Carrillo] and I were at a dinner party and a friend asked us to fix his health insurance. He was paying $3,000 a month because his plan through the Screen Actors Guild of America no longer covered his child’s medication, and his go-to doctors were suddenly out of network. Christine and I sat down and did some digging, and found he could save thousands every year by doing something that — on the surface — seemed counterintuitive: switching to a plan with a higher premium. We’re health insurance experts, and it took us many, many hours to sort through all the information and figure this out for our friend. That was when we really realized there was a need for a solution like JOANY.

Starting a business can be a daunting process, but did JOANY's mission alleviate any concerns you might have had?

We knew we’d be making a difference to millions of people nationwide and that’s really where our obsession was rooted. We knew it could impact a lot of people, but we never said, "this will change the world," because it was a little scary at the time. We’d been in health insurance for so long, so to know we would be creating change and to see the effects right away were hugely rewarding. It cemented the fact that this is what we’re supposed to be doing.

What's the best part of doing what you do?

I love my job so much. My role is so dynamic. I have the expertise in health insurance and compliance — and normally when you think of having this expertise, it doesn’t sound very fun, but the fact that I get to be a part of what the product does makes me feel very lucky. I kind of get to do it all, which is really the best part of my job.

 

 

Luis Peña, a front-end developer at JOANY, did not join the DTLA-based company because of his passion for healthcare and compliance. He came on board to fix a problem millions of Americans face.

How much of a role did JOANY’s mission play into your taking the position?

Let's face it, nobody's passionate about things like health plans, premiums or deductibles, but we can agree that it's quite the mess, and — most importantly — one that can be fixed. If it was built by humans, it can be fixed by humans, and the team at JOANY is optimistic about fixing it, and it's that optimism and drive to fix that excites me.

How does that mission affect the company’s culture?

We use this analogy of being on a professional basketball team. As an A player, you're focused on playing your A game, and you expect the rest of your team to put in the same effort. The minute you feel like you're playing at a lower level and need to be benched is the minute you know you should ask for feedback from your coaches. Mixing this hustle with the purpose of fixing a real problem that our country faces today, I think, defines our culture well.

How would you pitch JOANY to someone like yourself?

You know that friend you can always text about fixing your tech, finance or car problems? That’s us for healthcare. Oh, and it’s free.

 

 

 

Headquartered in Venice, Enervee has built a platform that helps users purchase household products based on a given model’s energy efficiency, leading to greater customer awareness and satisfaction. The company’s drive to create a world where energy-efficient products aren’t a novelty anymore is important to Anne Arquit-Niederberger, VP of market development, both in and out of the office.

How much of a role did Enervee's mission play into your taking the position?

I would never have considered working for a company that wasn't fully aligned with my own aspirations. In fact, I joined Enervee as a result of a "friendly takeover" of TopTen USA, a non-profit that I had founded with the same mission but not the capabilities of Enervee.

How does that mission affect the company’s culture?

It attracts people who are dedicated to making a difference, which has resulted in a really diverse, tolerant and creative team that's both supportive and ambitious. After all, saving the planet has become an urgent task.

What’s it like working at a place that is doing something so near and dear to your heart?

It's the only way to live. My advice to young people: if you follow your passion, you'll have no regrets and the best chance of living up to your full potential. You'll probably work really hard, but you'll be inspired!

 

 

 

Troves of truly innovative augmented reality content is being created every day, but not all storytellers have access to the tools necessary to bring their ideas to the world. Tech veteran Drew Shepard, who has experience in both the hardware and software side of the industry, set out to fix that. His company, Revree, offers an augmented reality platform to help artists create and share camera effects without having to write any code.

Why did you start Revree?

As an artist with a background in engineering, I was fascinated by Snapchat’s AR technology, but ultimately underwhelmed by content like the dog filter and flower crown. My natural impulse was to create my own effects, but unfortunately, the tools weren’t available to me. It takes teams of computer vision scientists, machine learning experts and software engineers to bring each of these experiences to life. Unless you work at a place like Facebook or Snapchat, it is incredibly difficult to create an AR filter and requires skills that most artists simply don’t possess. I wanted to change that.

Did your passion for art and design make it easier?

I’ve been illustrating and dabbling in graphic design for as long as I can remember. While I don’t have any discernible talent, Revree gives me the opportunity to work with some of the most talented artists and animators in the industry.

What’s it like working on a project so near and dear to your heart?

Ultimately, startups are hard, and if you can’t find a way to smile and have fun through the process, you will never succeed. I can confidently say I’ve laughed out loud at least once a day since starting Revree.

 

 

Images via participating companies. Responses were edited for clarity and length. 

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