Team Member Spotlight
Part one of the series which features the amazing and talented people behind team Gravity PDF.
Team Member Spotlight Series
- Irene Llego (current)
- Debbie Ellis
- Mc Glenn Tangalin
- Jestoni Sumande
- Justin Malana
- Greg Zamora
- Zeke Tarranza
Meet Irene
The success of any business relies as much on the success of its employees. Here at Gravity PDF, we make sure that team morale is always on top of our priorities. We want to start a blog series which highlights the stories of the talented individuals behind our amazing and humble team. This month, we spoke with one of our software developers based in the Philippines, Irene Llego. Among many things, she focuses on Bespoke projects/management, helps with the onboarding process, and also assists with customer support. Irene shares with us her life behind the computer, while at the same time being a full-time mom.
Let’s find out more about Irene in her spotlight interview below!🧐
What is your role at Gravity PDF?
I work as a software developer at Gravity PDF. I’ve been with the company for 12 months and it has helped me stretch my knowledge, skills, and capacity to deliver great software. The founder, Jake Jackson, is a great mentor and his leadership inspired me to someday make my career bigger and better.
What drew you to Gravity PDF originally? And how has your expectations changed after 12 months?
I initially planned to look for a home-based, full-time job. Thankfully, I landed at Gravity PDF! I never imagined how it would drastically improve my life. I can now work conveniently in my own home. I’m now able to perform as a full-time employee, while also being the best mother I can be for my daughter.
How would you describe your day job to a child?
Whenever my daughter asks me what my job is, I only tell her that I’m working with Jake. At the end of the day, she thinks I’m a chef because she only sees me cooking at home. I just leave it that way because it’s really hard to explain to a child what a web developer is! 😅
How has this job helped you in your career development?
It helped me a lot! Especially my programming skills. Jake is helping me enhance my skills further and thrive. Though I still have a lot of failures, I believe that someday I will also be as good as my mentor.🙂
What is your motto or personal mantra?
My God is bigger than my problems in life.
What has been your favourite project?
My favourite project is working on new extensions for Gravity PDF. I’m working on the Gravity PDF Bulk Generator plugin right now and the code architecture being used is a new paradigm for me personally. This is where Jake’s mentoring really helps me level up my programming skills. I love learning new things! I really want to enhance my career every day.
If you could switch your job with anyone else within Gravity PDF, whose would it be?
Debbie. He works as our front-end JavaScript developer.
What’s the one thing you cannot live without?
Bath soap.🧼
What do you find the most challenging part of your position?
Writing modern OOP code has been a challenge. It’s a new paradigm of designing software for me. I also find it challenging answering support tickets.
What is your proudest moment with Gravity PDF?
I am proud to help hire great people who will make Gravity PDF grow bigger and better.
Given a chance, who would you like to be for a day?
I would like to be Shakira.💃
What is the first thing you would buy if you won the lottery?
A Toyota Fortuner.
What’s a food dish you can eat every day for one whole week?
Any vegetable + Fruit Salad.
How do you balance your career and family?
Working from home is quite challenging because I’ve worked in a corporate setting for a decade. This is my first time working remotely. Balancing my career and taking care of my family was chaotic at first, but with proper time management, I am now able to tell myself to always focus on work regardless of distractions.
What have you got back personally from working at the company?
I gained more knowledge on the technical side of things. But on a personal note, I gained fulfilment being able to enjoy time with my four-year-old daughter.
What three words best describe you?
Bubbly. Friendly. Loving.
What three words best describe working at Gravity PDF?
Mentorship. Leadership. Family.
Where would you like to go on a dream vacation?
I wanna go to Japan🇯🇵 to see the cherry blossoms. I also want to meet a real yakuza!
