Simon Maude
Wonolo
San Francisco, CA USA
"[Working in computer science] is a lot like building Legos when you were a kid. The sense of accomplishment you feel at the end when you see what you have built, is worth all of the stress and struggle of getting there. It's an addictive and rewarding thing."
Career Roadmap
Simon's work combines: Technology, Engineering, and Learning / Being Challenged
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Computer Science
University of California-Berkeley
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
I was born and raised in the United Kingdom.
2.
Started attending college in Wellington, New Zealand, but I had no idea what major to pick.
3.
Only completed a year there and ended up having to move back to the U.K. for family reasons.
4.
I bounced around various careers, mainly in events and music management, before discovering Roadtrip Nation and participating in one of their cross-country road trips in the U.S.
5.
Worked for media-based nonprofits and social enterprises for a number of years.
6.
Decided to move to the U.S. permanently and discovered that not having a degree was much more of a hindrance here than back in Europe, so I decided to go back to college to finish my degree.
7.
I loved taking the computer science (CS) classes at my local community college and eventually got accepted into the CS program at UC Berkeley.
8.
I got hired right out of college as a software engineer at Wonolo, a startup focused on providing flexible work for the growing under-employed population.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
There is no way I can go back to school right now.
How I responded:
There was so much going on in my life (moving to a new country, new baby, etc.) that I couldn't afford to not work in order to go back to school. That just didn't seem like a possibility. I had a lot of support from family that knew if I went back to school I would ultimately be happier. I made a lot of life adjustments and did what I needed to in order to go back to school. I worked part-time, relied on my partner's support (and income), and pulled crazy hours to make it all happen.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
My first son was born the day before my first computer science final and then my second son was born a few days after my last computer science final! Managing my time was a huge struggle.
Early on, I was really confused about what I wanted to do. I've worked in nonprofits, events, music management, etc. I started taking computer science classes at a community college, loved it, and decided to pursue that as my career instead.
When I moved to the U.S., I struggled to find work due to my lack of a college degree, which was something that I had never struggled with back in Europe. I had to go back to school to get the opportunities I wanted.
I never considered myself a very studious person and never took college seriously. After not finding work when I moved to the U.S., I went back to school, but I had to juggle that and my family life (I was a new dad).
When I went back to school, I couldn't get loans because I wasn't an American, so I had to take on weekend work in order to pay for my tuition and all of the additional family costs as a result of having a new baby at the time.