Today (okay, tomorrow if you’re being pedantic) marks my four-year anniversary at Attentive. I started thinking I’d learn a lot about the infrastructure that powers SMS sending over the internet at scale. Haha, wrong, that’s actually a completely different team and besides from a software perspective it’s basically just API calls.

Instead, I learned a whole new programming language (nobody told me in my interview that Attentive was primarily a Java shop!) and made a whole bunch of new friends. Seriously, my coworkers are the greatest. Oh, and I got promoted. Three times.

My main source of income prior to switching to software engineering was, except for a brief stint on staff at an online magazine, primarily through freelance writing and editing. And while I had many long-term clients that were happy with my work and that I worked with for more than four years, I still feel like four years in a job at the same company carries more weight.

I’m celebrating this meaningful milestone by making a donation to Unidos MN, a grassroots organization focused on immigration, education and climate justice in Minnesota. Seemed like the right time.