Every now and then, you stumble upon a job that you just kind of have to apply for.
It doesn't matter if you weren't looking for a job. Or if you're perfectly happy with your current job. Or if you don't have an awful lot of free time to throw together an application.
Every now and then, you see a job and you just have to apply for it. And, as you've probably guessed by now, the Programmer role at 37signals is that job for me.
Why 37signals?
You move the needle. I want to work on something that matters, and what draws me to 37signals' products is not so much that they are used by a lot of people but rather that they virtually always represent a paradigm shift in how we think about software. You have a heck of a track record when it comes to challenging the status quo and doing things differently – from re-imagining the personal calendar to swimming against the SaaS current to breaking up with the cloud. I want to be part of a team of that isn't afraid of leaning into discomfort and advancing new trends and norms.
You know a thing or two about Rails. Maybe one day I'll find a framework that sparks more joy in my life than Rails. But, in my many moons of working as a programmer, that day has yet to come. As a Rails enthusiast, it is probably not an exaggeration to say that there is no better place to work than 37signals. I want to surround myself with the best, learn a tonne, and make a meaningful contribution to the community at large. My open source contributions have been modest to date (you can read more about them here, or check out a PR here and an issue here), but I see 37signals as the perfect place to take them to the next level.
Why Me?
I know a thing or two about Rails. The Rails Golden Path is one I've been walking for a long time now, and I've become particularly bullish on the majestic monolith since the introduction of Hotwire. As it stands, I work on three production-grade Rails apps for Code & Co, plus another for my passion project in Aestival. I also teach Rails to the next crop of developers as part of my part-time lecturing role at Le Wagon. I may not be the very best Rails dev in the world (maybe one day!), but what you'll find in is me someone who cares about the framework, understands it deeply, and can hit the ground running.
I'm loyal. I've been with Code & Co for five years. If I don't get this job at 37signals, I may well stay here for five more. I'm not interested in jumping from one job to the next. I'm interested in finding a place where I can make a meaningful contribution and sticking around for the long haul. This is how I've ultimately risen to the role of Head of Engineering at Code & Co. At 37signals, I'd also be looking to stay put for many years to come, and to grow with the company as you continue moving the needle in a positive direction.
Something I've Done
I needed a rich text editor for a Rails application I was working on a few years ago and ran into some limitations with Trix for this particular use case. I ended up building a custom solution inspired by Notion's content blocks, which is 100% powered by Turbo and Stimulus.js.
Here it is in action:
Parting Thoughts
I've already blown past my self-imposed 500-word limit, so I'll keep this part brief. I care about what you're doing at 37signals and think I could make a serious contribution to it. Talk is famously cheap though, and I'd love the opportunity to show you what I can do in the form of a technical exercise.
If you'd like to take my application to the next stage then I would jump at the chance to prove myself. If not, then rest assured that I'll continue cheering you on from the sidelines :)