My Dad Lost Sleep When I Left John Deere

My dad lost sleep for weeks when I left John Deere.

I’d joined Deere as a new grad. In small-town Iowa, where I’m from, working there is like getting a job at Google: good pay, good benefits, and above what even Google can offer, a strong mission. “I help feed the world.”

Years after I left for a startup, my mom told me he’d been convinced I’d thrown away a dream job.

Leaving wasn’t a mistake. It set me on a path, and I’ve loved every step of the way.

What had been missing for a long time, though, was that sense of mission.

At Clipboard, our customers are among the most caring people on the planet: childcare teachers, dental hygienists, and memory care nurses. I’m grateful to have a small part in helping them uplift themselves and their communities.

At each company offsite, every engineer sits in small groups with them and listens. In San Francisco, I met Maya. She got into nursing because her mom is a nurse. Nursing student by day, CNA by night. Her boyfriend is a CNA too, and they’ll often frantically text each other when high-paying shifts show up in our app.

It’s one thing to see a bug on a Linear board. It’s quite another to watch Maya hit one as she shows you your app.