Meet Garrett: Stride Software Engineer, Rock Climber, and DJ

Garrett is celebrating his one year anniversary at Stride—here’s a bit about his journey as one of Stride’s Software Engineers.

Garrett, you’re a Software Engineer here at Stride—tell us a bit about what you do.

So my more specific role would be backend platform engineer. Since I started at Stride, I’ve helped develop our platform backend services basically from the ground up! These services support our agent and broker portal that is used by our health insurance partners. This was a new product that came to fruition during my first year, so it was extremely gratifying to help something grow from nothing and actually be used in the span of less than a year!

Where are you from originally?

Orange County, California. Specifically Lake Forest. However, the last eight years I lived in San Luis Obispo before moving to San Francisco!

What were you doing before you joined Stride?

Working as a full stack developer at a startup post-grad in San Luis Obispo. It was a nice step in the door into the software industry.

Why did you choose to work at Stride?

Culture was the biggest thing for me. I could tell that Stride really cared about my well-being and my time outside of work. I can’t beat the work/life balance Stride gives me! Additionally, I really subscribed to Stride’s mission of helping people.

What’s the most rewarding part about working at Stride?

Everyone I work with is seriously awesome! Especially on the engineering team, everyone I interface with is so friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.

What’s your favorite memory at Stride (so far)?

Definitely our Calistoga Summer 2021 retreat! It was so fun finally meeting everyone at the company in person. It was pretty much a two-day pool party, and I can’t wait for the next one this April!

What are some of your hobbies and interests?

A few things I spend my free time doing are climbing at Dogpatch Boulders, DJ-ing electronic music, or hiking/camping out in nature!

What opportunities are you most excited for within the next year at Stride?

It’s a goal of mine to become a Senior Software Engineer, and I really think that Stride has the opportunity for me to grow my career in that direction. Additionally I’m excited to see our platform product grow more and to have “Stride inside” more places!

What’s on your Spotify playlist these days?

It’s been a mix of either ambient or electro breaks — two energies on opposite sides of the electronic music spectrum. Both separately are great to listen to while researching or coding!

What’s your current dream vacation?

I’d really love to visit Japan! I already love the food and would love to experience more of the culture in person.

Want to work with Garrett and help everyone find affordable benefits? We’re hiring!