What’s The Stack | Season 1, Episode 2: Carlie Hamilton, Software Engineer at Atlassian
Welcome to What’s The Stack! As tech recruiters, every day ask the question – “What’s The Stack?” and now, we’re bringing that question to life as we ask some of our favourite technical friends about their own tech stack all while enjoying stacks of pancakes in Brisbane’s most iconic church turned 24/7 pancake restaurant – The Pancake Manor!
So, what is What’s The Stack?
Every day we get the opportunity to work with some of Brisbane’s best tech companies and throughout this process, they also get to have insightful conversations with developers and tech leaders about how they got to where they are, where they currently are in their careers and what they’re trying to achieve. But what don’t they get to do? Jump on camera to capture these conversations with some of our favourite people in tech. Until…. Now!
What’s The Stack takes a peek behind the curtain of the careers of Brisbane tech leaders and emerging developers to explore Brisbane’s Tech scene through a series of interviews with some of your favourite faces as well as some that you may not have seen before.
Each episode of What’s The Stack will take you through three levels of conversation:
- Tall Stack: Questions about our guest and their career history
- Full-Stack: In-depth questions into tech-related topics
- Short-Stack: Funny, short sharp questions that no one else is asking
Let’s get into it…
What’s The Stack, Season 1, Episode 2: Carlie Hamilton, Software Engineer at Atlassian
Back in July, Carlie Hamilton was part of the Women In Digital panel talking about all things career pivots. It was at this specific moment that we knew we had to have her as a guest on What’s The Stack.
Carlie’s career journey has taken twists and turns from starting as a substitute high school teacher, to teaching English in Japan before retraining as a developer with Coder Academy to now taking on the very enviable role of Software Developer at none other than Atlassian!
What we know about Carlie is that she’s passionate about pushing the boundaries of what a career in technology looks like. Carlie is an active member of the Brisbane tech community and a fierce advocate of the fact that no matter who you are, there is a place for you in a career in tech!
We loved speaking with Carlie and loved the insights that she brought to the chat. We’re so thrilled to have Carlie in our orbit and know that she’s a promising rising star within technology!
5 Key Takeaways:
There is a place for you in technology:
Carlie’s story is one that does a 360 degree turn around a roundabout. Coming straight out of high school, Carlie started a Bachelor of Communication Design where she was learning front end development practices. Feeling as though the environment wasn’t for her, Carlie pivoted towards a career in teaching only to pivot back into software development after studying at Coder Academy a whole decade later. In her second foray into technology, Carlie learnt that the experience that she had as part of the Communication Design course, wasn’t a reflection of what a career in tech could be like, Carlie immersed herself in the Brisbane tech community and soon enough found her place in the community and is keen for everyone to know that no matter who you are, there is a place for you in tech!
You can always pivot:
When it comes to starting out in a career in tech, Carlie’s advice is to give things a go! Nothing it set in stone, know that you can always pivot. Maybe you think that working on SaaS products is something you’re going to love – give it a go! Maybe it’s not for you and if that’s the case, try something new.
Find a workplace where it’s ok to make mistakes:
Carlie has some stellar advice for when it comes to failure; work with companies that have a culture of learning. Carlie has been lucky enough to have worked with some companies where failures were seen as learning opportunities. Granted, this is not how every organisation operates, so if it’s something you’re looking for, be sure to ask the question during your interview process.
Do what you love:
Carlie’s career pivot back into tech came after playing a prank on her friend by creating a discord bot to mimic her. This prank inspired Carlie to return to a career in tech. What we leant from this is that by following your passions and the things that make you happy, you can have a career that sparks joy everyday.
Press pause to move forward:
When Carlie decided to pivot into a career in tech, she undertook a coding bootcamp with Coder Academy. So, while Carlie had to press pause on her career to dive into the bootcamp, she surrounded herself with a community and place of learning that provided her with access to great opportunities and mentorship, moving her career forward in a brand new direction.
What’s The Stack… roll the credits
Powered by: Hunt and Co.
Executive Producer: Emily Conaghan
Producer: Carly Shearman
Hosted by: Emily Conaghan & Carly Shearman
Support Crew: Elise Le-Galloudec and Matthew Hunt
Video Production by: BITL
Location: The Pancake Manor
Special Guest: Carlie Hamilton, Software Engineer at Atlassian
A special thanks to The Pancake Manor team and everyone that played a hand in making this project possible.