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Kenny Shaw
Sr. iOS Engineer at Apple
Kenny Shaw is a Senior iOS Engineer at Apple, known for his background as a Division 1 athlete and his passion for application development. He graduated from Northern Arizona University and has transitioned from athletics to a career in technology, focusing on mobile app development. His professional interests include creating innovative applications that enhance user experience on iOS devices. For more details about his career and skills, you can view his LinkedIn profile at kennyrshaw .1
Highlights
9 months ago I took a gamble.
For my whole career, I have been caluculated and cautious in my path, choosing different jobs and industries to make me more well rounded in areas I could use the experience. I was always passionate about iOS development, and the goal was to one day join Apple as a key contributor to a team with global reach. I didn’t want to be employee # 2,000,000 of 2,000,000 whose sole purpose was making sure some meanial aspect was functioning properly. I wanted to be a leader. And as an iOS dev, what more could you hope for than to be at the Mecca for iOS development.
So I stuck to working with smaller startups to sharpen my skills. They gave me the opportunity to be an “all-hats” developer: Interface with clients, work hand in hand with upper management, QA, shape products and implement systems from the design phase until living on. Eventually I moved to bigger startups, with larger, more prominent roles, but I still continued to hone my craft, broaden my exposure and soak up as much as I can.
When the opportunity for me to join Apple as a contractor came 9 months ago, I wasn’t sure it was the right move. I needed stability. I had a wife, 2 young daughters and another on the way, and I couldn’t jeopardize not being able to provide for them, so contracting scared me, even if it was for a company I had hoped to work for.
But sometimes you have to bet on yourself.
I knew that if I had worked hard anough, and with a little bit of luck, things would work out. So I gambled on myself. It paid off!
I just accepted an offer for a full time position with my current team, at my desired position, doing exactly what I had hoped to be doing. Everything I hoped for, to the letter.
I guess the whole point of this long ramble is to inspire others to bet on themselves. You know what you are capable of even when it seems a bit risky. Strive for what you hope for, and see it through. Set high level goals and keep moving towards them.
My goals have shifted now. Time to put in the work!
Today I started my new journey with Housecall Pro, and I’m very excited to continue to grow in my career and sharpen my skill sets as an engineer!
However, I wanted to take a moment to give a big Thank You to my people over at Holonis. The work we did while I was there for the past 2 years was truly an honor to be a part of. More than that, the camaraderie and culture is something I will always look back on fondly. You have been a family to me these last couple of years and I wish you all nothing but the best. Sorry we didn’t get to have a proper goodbye due to COVID-19, but I promise to crash the office next time I’m in town to catch up!
New adventures await!
