A quick intro
I’m a full-stack software engineer with eight years of experience in the tech industry. I’ve always been excited by tackling gnarly technical challenges—the kind that are as fun as they are intricate, with pieces that fit together in unexpected ways. As a female and non-binary engineer, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of representation in the workplace, which is why team culture and dynamics have always been key factors in my career decisions. Over the years, I’ve found that the best teams don’t just solve hard problems—they make the journey rewarding and inspiring!
My journey to Metronome
Looking back on my time at Metronome, it’s hard to believe how much has happened—and how much I’ve learned! When I made the decision to join, I was looking for a company tackling technically challenging and complex problems because I wanted to up-level my career and gain deeper full-stack experience. What ultimately tipped the scales for me was the interview experience itself. On my interview loop at Metronome, I met two incredible female engineers who left me inspired and confident about the team I’d be joining. In contrast, the other company I had an offer from—a promising shipping software startup—didn’t have a single woman on the team. The choice felt like a no-brainer!
What it's like working here
What I love most about working at Metronome is the perfect balance of autonomy and support. Before joining, I had worked at both ends of the spectrum: five years at Microsoft, a big company with well-established processes, and two years at a tiny startup with just 10 employees, where we had to figure out everything on our own. Metronome strikes a unique balance between those extremes. Here, I get the best of both worlds: the freedom and agility of a startup, where I have the autonomy to make decisions and move fast, combined with the support of a team filled with people who bring deep expertise and experience—many of whom have been in the industry for decades, and working on this specific set of problems for years. It’s a rare and rewarding combination that makes Metronome my favorite place to work so far!
A culture of communication
Another thing I love about Metronome is the exceptional remote culture. Metronome was founded in 2020, during the peak of the novel coronavirus. As such, it’s a remote first company with a culture of communication in its bones, and that really shows. I’m a fully remote IC, and I rely heavily on Slack to communicate with my team, and I’m consistently impressed by how responsive and engaged everyone is. Whenever I post a question or start a discussion, I almost always get a thoughtful response within five minutes—and never more than an hour. This level of engagement was a stark contrast to previous companies, where messages sometimes went unanswered. Meetings at Metronome are remote-first, ensuring that everyone, no matter where they are, feels included and heard. On top of that, the company flies everyone in quarterly for an onsite, giving us the chance to meet in person, build deeper connections, and simply have fun together. The people here are incredibly kind, helpful, and collaborative, embodying the ‘low ego, high collaboration’ culture that Metronome is intentional about fostering.
A place for career growth
I have found that the projects at Metronome are not only incredibly fun but also a fantastic way to deepen my technical skills, which is why I joined in the first place. The technical complexity of the work has challenged me in the best way possible, helping me grow tremendously as a full-stack engineer. Many of our projects involve integrating a variety of systems—like invoice computation, data export, webhooks, external integrations, queues, and databases—which often feels like constructing a beautifully intricate Rube Goldberg machine. One of the most fascinating aspects of working here is tackling challenges at an impressive scale. I recently worked on a project involving one of our biggest clients—OpenAI—which serves millions of customers and processes many millions of invoices. Designing systems for this level of throughput requires not just technical skill but also creative and thoughtful problem-solving to ensure high performance and reliability. Every day, I feel genuinely excited to log on because the work feels like solving a series of fascinating puzzles—and I get paid to do it! Whether I’m designing a complex state machine, digging into the details of a bug during an incident, or writing code for a nuanced computational feature, the challenges are always engaging, and the sense of accomplishment is deeply rewarding.
Tips on thriving at Metronome
Metronome is a startup with a fast-paced environment where everyone, including managers, is moving quickly to keep up with the demands of the business. One thing that has really contributed to my growth here is learning how to self-advocate. I’ve found that communicating what I’m working on, what I need, and what I’m trying to learn has been essential—not just for getting onto the projects I’m excited about but also for building strong relationships with my manager and teammates. By actively showcasing my work and having strategic conversations about my goals, I’ve been able to ensure my impact is visible and align my efforts with opportunities for growth. By taking this approach, I optimized my career trajectory, and I believe self-advocacy is a key tip for anyone looking to thrive at Metronome. Like I say above, this environment is the perfect balance of autonomy and support. When it comes to career development, there’s a lot of autonomy to choose how you want to grow as an engineer, but a lot of support once you make that choice.
Launching our Engineering Peer Mentoring program
Last year, I helped start an Engineering Peer Mentoring program with a few of my engineering friends, and it has quickly become one of my favorite initiatives at Metronome. The program is open to engineering ICs (individual contributors) only—no managers—and we meet once a month for optional sessions designed to foster connection, mentorship, and reflection. Each meeting begins with two short icebreaker questions: What’s one thing you’re struggling with at work? and What’s one thing you’ve been working on that you’re proud of? These questions are not only great for self-reflection—hmm, what am I struggling with? 🤔 what am I proud of?—but also provide an opportunity to hear about others’ challenges and successes.
After the icebreakers, we open up the discussion. Participants can ask for advice on their struggles, or dive into topic options from our crowdsourced list of topics, which includes ideas like having effective conversations with your manager, writing great engineering specs, performing thoughtful code reviews, leading incidents, and how to get to the next level in your career. The meetings are small and dynamic, with participants placed into random breakout groups of three people each month, giving everyone a chance to connect with different engineers across the department. Personally, I’ve found the program invaluable—it’s a space where engineers genuinely want to support one another, mentor, and share advice. It’s been amazing to see how eager my colleagues are to contribute to each other’s growth, and it’s a testament to the collaborative culture at Metronome.
Join us!
Looking back, I feel that joining Metronome was an excellent career decision. I’m incredibly grateful to be part of a team as talented, driven, and collaborative as the one here. The work is challenging, the people are inspiring, and the culture feels genuinely supportive and empowering. If you’re looking for a place where you can grow, contribute to engaging and challenging projects, and have a lot of fun along the way, I can’t recommend Metronome enough. As for me, I’m excited to continue tackling fun technical challenges and contributing to the incredible team dynamic that makes Metronome special! It’s been an amazing ride so far, and I’m excited to see what’s next!
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Interested in joining the team? Metronome is hiring! Check out our open roles here: https://metronome.com/company/careers