As a thriving tech startup, our product is only as good as the engineers and developers who build it. We take pride in working with the smartest, most talented engineers out there to keep Fluid Truck running. Keep reading to gain some valuable insight into our engineering team and what it’s like to be on it. Think you have what it takes to join the Fluid Truck team? Scroll down for more information on starting your career with Fluid Truck!

For this piece, we interviewed frontend engineers Caitlin Sweeney and Kurt Miller, and lead backend engineer Jennifer Carlucci. 

First of all, how did you get here? What was your path that led you to join Fluid Truck?

Caitlin (CS): Probably leading up to a stack that I’d been focusing on, which is React. I heard about the company via an old coworker because I used to work in a fleet management trucking company. I heard what Fluid Truck was doing, and I loved the stack and the product. So here I am!

Jennifer (JC): I actually worked for a massive tech company for the past 16 years before joining Fluid. The past couple of years working there we were “start-uppy” - I loved the pace and the creativity and the environment that fostered. But then we started moving towards the “big company” way of development. Then I heard Fluid Truck was hiring, and saw that it involved a lot of the stuff that I really enjoyed when we were in a startup mode at my old company. So I decided to take a leap and try out the startup thing for awhile! So far I’ve been loving it. 

Kurt (KM): Before I started at Fluid Tuck I was an automation engineer at a large corporate company. Same as Jennifer - I wanted to be part of a smaller company. I wanted to  have a more meaningful impact on building out a company product portfolio from the ground up. And Fluid has allowed me to do that!

How do you think Fluid Truck is leading the industry - whether it’s the tech industry or trucking industry?

JC: The convergence of tech and trucks is something that’s not being done anywhere, in any industry. Having it be such a tech-centered company, it’s launching the truck industry in a new direction.

CS: When I was working at an older company. there was a lot of legacy code -- I don’t even know how long it had been there. Fluid Truck’s technology is totally new. A lot of it too, is connecting product with development, looking at what the wants and needs are of the industry and using newer tech, but also not trying to reinvent the wheel - improving it instead. 

KM: I think Fluid truck is really good at taking more calculated risks than other competitors.

JC: We keep expanding and reinventing who we are, Having new ideas. We aren’t pigeon holed in the sense of “this is what a traditional trucking company looks like.”

What part of your work challenges you the most?

JC: The challenges are also what I love most - how everything is constantly changing. We’ve got new things coming in almost every day. Our priorities shift as new ideas come down. Just adapting to new things day by day is a huge challenge, but also the thing I love most about working here. 

KM: Just having new problems on a day to day basis. You’ll be working on a feature, and then something you didn’t expect to happen, happens. So it’s definitely a challenge. Our jobs as software engineers are never boring because of these challenges. 

CS: Yeah! If you’re the type of engineer that likes to just chill and work on defects… you’re not gonna find that here. You’re going to work on fun features. It’s cool because if you’re interested in learning and growing as a developer, this is the place you want to be. Because each feature is like, ok, how are we going to code this? And it’s fun! Because there are ways to do it! We just work as a team and figure it out.

How would you describe Fluid Truck’s culture?

JC: It’s full of creative, self-motivated people. Everyone is really friendly and willing to help out. Everyone is super collaborative, which is awesome. It’s so fun to log in in the mornings and be able to work with my team. Because we’re solving so many interesting problems that come to us every day.

CS: It’s a good blend of paired programming and working on your own, so you don’t feel like you’re constantly with somebody and stepping on each other's toes, but you’ll have times that you need somebody else to work out through features. It’s awesome! You get the job done and learn a lot. It just helps you grow as a dev. You’ll learn to to communicate effectively, and we can get our work done a lot faster that way.

KM: It’s a welcoming environment. Work hard, play hard. Collaborative. If you run into an issue, there’s always an engineer there to help you. Everyone is willing to collaborate on a problem. This is an environment that spurs personal and professional development. 

What’s your favorite part about working here?

JS: The people I get to work with. I really like my team. They’re just a good bunch of people. I enjoy coming to work every day - having good teammates is what I love most. 

CS: Definitely my teammates, and working on a lot of challenging features is my favorite part. 

KM: It’s nice never to feel alone when you’re solving a problem! There’s always people there to support you when you need it. I guess just going back to what I said previously, I’m never bored. There’s always something I can pull in to work on. I’m never sitting still. 

What kind of person would thrive in the engineering department at Fluid Truck?

JC: Someone who really enjoys working on teams and working with other people. Someone self-motivated, a self-starter. There’s a lot of opportunity if you want it. It’s definitely important that you be the type of person who wants to reach out and grab those opportunities, and that you’re good at working with cool people!

KM: Someone who can adapt well in a fast-paced environment. Someone who’s open-minded to others’ solutions to problems - there are multiple ways of skinning a cat, right? So being able to listen to other people’s opinions will help you solve what you’re working on.

CS: There should be a healthy balance between bringing what you know to the table and improving the current stack. Maybe there will be opportunities to change a process, but balance that with a willingness to learn and be open to constructive criticism. You’re going to be working alongside people, but because of the amount of work, you’re going to have to be ok with all of that. You can't sit there all day and work on a single feature and it be perfect. Just be able to adapt!

One more message to Denver Startup Week attendees?

JC: Submit an application to work with us!

CS: I hope you like maps!

KM: What they said. 

CS: I love it here. It’s such a great company to work for.

KM: It’s my favorite job so far - and I'm not just saying that to sell the company. 

JC: Honestly, I was nervous to leave the big corporate world, but I don’t regret my decision at all. I haven’t looked back.

CS: And you’ll learn a lot! Kurt said it best - you’re not just gonna grow as a developer, but you’ll grow personally too.