In this #meetFlexe interview, Molly Kent, Front End Engineer, shares how she applies her geochemistry background and her love for art to the technology she builds.
Key Takeaways
- Molly came to Flexe with a non-traditional background in geochemistry and studio art.
- Her Flexe interview experience was the best she had, and it was representative of the work environment she enjoys to this day.
- She maintains a healthy work/life balance, keeping up on pottery, knitting, and cycling.
Tell us about yourself and your background #
I have a non-traditional background for a software engineer. My BA is in Studio Art, and my MS is in Geochemistry. I didn’t want to end up in Houston working for an oil company, so after grad school, I spent some time trying to find my next career. I tried to start a business, worked with college faculty to improve teaching practices in the sciences, and kind of stumbled into web development along the way.
I loved it, but I didn’t want to go back to school for another degree. This was back when coding bootcamps were springing up everywhere, so I took a chance and quit my job, moved back home to Seattle, and enrolled in one. I completed my coding certificate and landed an internship at Microsoft through the LEAP program.
When my internship ended, I converted to a full-time employee at Microsoft, which was a great ego boost, but I realized pretty quickly that such a big company wasn’t a great fit for me. I went hunting for something different and ended up at Flexe!
What’s your role at Flexe? #
I’m a software engineer on the IQ team. We handle inbound deliveries, which means we’re responsible for the tools and workflows for getting physical goods off the trucks and into warehouses quickly and accurately.
Why did you choose to work at Flexe? #
First off, it was the best interview experience I ever had! Every person involved was smart, engaging, welcoming, and treated me like a human being instead of a cog in a machine. I had a fun day talking to fun people, and it turns out that working here is more of the same.
I love complicated problems (geochemistry, anyone?) and logistics is hugely complex as well as massive. And it’s also a very real problem space. We aren’t trying to solve some abstract issue or build a tool no one will actually use. We solve real problems for real people in the real world. I get to have an impact every day and I absolutely love that.
My Flexe interview was the best interview experience I ever had. Every person involved was smart, engaging, welcoming, and treated me like a human being instead of a cog in a machine. I had a fun day talking to fun people, and it turns out that working here is more of the same.
Are there any lessons you learned from your past roles? How do they apply to your role at Flexe? #
Thanks to my science training, I know how to observe a problem, break it down, analyze it, and then test for the best way to solve it. That skillset translates very well to software engineering.
I’m also grateful for my experience as a teacher. Teaching is as much about asking questions and understanding people as it is about passing on knowledge, and Flexe is full of people who want to learn and teach every day. That’s one of the most rewarding things about my job.
What makes logistics exciting? And, what do you think people would be surprised to learn about the industry? #
I think people would be surprised by how many problems there are in logistics that don’t have good answers yet. It’s easy to assume that we are just building cool tech tools to replace the old pen and paper system, but most of the time, there isn’t even an old system to replace. So, we get to dig in and define the problem itself before we even start coming up with solutions. That means we get to innovate and be creative, which the artist side of me loves!
What makes being on your team at Flexe great? #
Until I started working at startups, I never understood people who wanted to hang out with their coworkers after work because I never felt like I could be myself with my office mates. Flexe is different. I know my teammates as people and vice versa. We all care about the work, but we have lives, too. For the first time in my tech career, I don’t feel like an outsider for having other interests.
I know my teammates as people and vice versa. We all care about the work, but we have lives, too. For the first time in my tech career, I don’t feel like an outsider for having other interests.
What are your hobbies outside of work? #
I love to get outside to go hiking and birding. When I can make it to the studio, I throw pots and do other fun things with clay. I also do papercrafts and knit (a lot).
What organizations are important to you and why? #
Since 2015, I’ve done multiple triathlons and half marathons with Team Challenge. Team Challenge raises money and awareness for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. The Foundation does amazing work funding research, plus patient support, education, Camp Oasis every summer for kids with IBD, and advocacy at the state and national levels for healthcare reform.
If you had your own personal warehouse and could fill it with any one thing, what would it be? #
Yarn. Definitely yarn! I would probably die of happiness if I could have a warehouse full of yarn, just for me. I’m a knitter.
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