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About |
Hey! I'm Nathan - a mobile developer based in Auckland, New Zealand 🇳🇿
I focus mostly on iOS but also dabble in microcontrollers and embedded software.
While on holiday in Queenstown, New Zealand in early 2023, I woke up in our rented campervan to a text from a co-worker friend back in the United States.
Were you affected?
The next message in my inbox was from an uknown number.
Hi. I'm sorry to inform you that we've decided to restructure...
Until that moment I had felt very secure in my career, lifestyle, and financial trajectory. The five-year-plan was progressing smoothly. Admittedly, that feeling of security also led to complacency. As anyone who's been on the job market recently can tell you - there is no room for complacency.
Applying for jobs became my job. Each passing day was like a progressively louder clock announcing the end of our financial runway. During one particularly grueling day scouring LinkedIn, a silly thought crossed my mind:
I wonder if there any open roles in New Zealand.
Well it turns out that New Zealand has its own less-hellish version of LinkedIn called Seek. Of the three postings for mobile developers, only one lacked the requirement for an applicant to hold a current visa (side-note: I later found out this ommission was accidental). After a 15-second consultation with my partner, the consensus was "why not just apply?". The company and the role looked interesting, and its objective was something far more meaningful than any place I'd worked prior. So I mixed a little extra love into the cover letter, customized the résumé (CV), and sent the application across the Pacific fully expecting to hear nothing back.
Another three weeks passed and my initial wave of applications were either officially rejected or simply ignored. During that time I received a message from someone at Alimetry. The company name seemed vaguely familiar, and it took me a half-a-minute to realize it was the little New Zealand statup sitting in the "no response" column of on my job board. Throughout the interview process, I constantly tampered my expectations:
| The Company | My Internal Monologue |
|---|---|
| We're seeing if we can hire outside NZ | They definitely won't hire outside NZ |
| We received the go-ahead to interview you | They will find someone local for cheaper |
| We were impressed by your interview | They said that to at least five other people |
| We're progressing with you as our preferred candidate | They will change their minds |
| We're offering you the job | 😮 |
I applied for a visa as quickly as possible and within two months we sold our home in Dallas and moved to New Zealand. Now I've taken over development of an iPad app that helps patients with severe stomach illness. The company is growing and I feel lucky to work alongside brilliant colleagues who are dedicated to their craft. Sometimes I even feel a little out-of-place among all the doctorates.
The pace is slower here - most shops close at 5 PM and restaurants at 9 PM. The elementary school will take the kids on impromptu walks to the beach if dolphins or orcas are reported. I mostly work from home, but will take a ferry into the city once a week.
Due to stricter labor laws in New Zealand, I'm objectively more secure in this job than any before it. It's safe to say I am content, but I want to avoid being complacent - so I'm doing what I've been putting off for too long: building something on my own. Despite writing software for years at my day job, I don't have anything to showcase. I'm setting out to change that by doing the following:
- Releasing an iOS app to the App Store
- Building and marketing a hardware product
- Blogging about it on a website
If you'd like to join me on my journey, follow me on Twitter (X) at nathandud or check back here periodically.
Interested in hiring me to freelance? Email me at [email protected] or drop into my DMs on Twitter.