Becoming a Software Developer: An Interview with Remmy Clay

In this series from Flatiron School, we’ll be talking to women in tech about their career journey, the essential lessons they’ve learned, and how more women can follow the path to join essential roles in computing.

This month we're featuring Remmy Clay who currently works for Sawatch Labs. Remmy made a career switch from Sydney, Australia based Litigation Lawyer to US based Software Developer. Catch a glimpse of her exciting journey in her interview.

How would you explain your role to a 5th grader?
Being a Software Developer is like solving puzzles, all day every day. I have to figure out which piece goes where and how the pieces all fit together. I build puzzles that help people figure out if they should buy cars that are good for the environment.

What inspired you to follow this particular career path?
Before I enrolled at Flatiron School, I was a litigation lawyer in Sydney, Australia. Two of the things I enjoyed most about my job were that I was always problem solving and learning new things.

I originally considered a career in tech because of the exciting, fast-paced nature of the industry. The more I looked into software development, the more it appealed to me. While in many ways development and law couldn't be more different, there is some overlap in terms of problem solving and learning - things I already knew I enjoyed. I started teaching myself to code on night and weekends and, before I knew it, I was hooked.

If you could go back 5 years ago and talk to yourself at that time, what would you share with her about her future in this career?
That you absolutely made the right choice in making this career switch! Yes, resigning from work to study something completely new is daunting, but it is also incredibly rewarding and invigorating! There will be highs and lows and you will learn so much, so quickly and be a much stronger person for it.

What were the most important actions you took that helped you land the job role you have now?
Networking! Not only was I embarking on a new career, I was doing so in a new country. I didn't have an existing network to draw on, so I tried to meet as many people in the industry as I could. In the end, both of the job offers I received came about directly or indirectly from networking events. I met the CTO of Sawatch Labs, the company I now work for, at a 'Develop Happy Hour'.

Tell us about the most exciting (or inspiring, or creative) thing you've done so far in your career?
The most exciting accomplishment so far was seeing version 2.0 of our Electric Vehicle Suitability Assessment (ezEV) go live. I was involved from the start of the process, and got to work on numerous aspects of both the front and back end. Seeing it rolled out to our clients was incredibly rewarding.

What was it like attending Flatiron School?
I had a fantastic experience at Flatiron School. I graduated from the online full-stack developer program (self-paced). Studying online gave me the flexibility to travel between Australia (home) and the US, allowing me to visit family and friends, and plan the move to Colorado. Between the technical instructors, and the great network past and present students I never had much difficulty getting my questions answered and always felt supported. Flatiron School equipped me with the skills and confidence to continue learning throughout my career.

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