What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Sr. Customer Engineer at Vestmark?
We connected with Michael Gallagher to find out!
Interested in learning more about Vestmark and their job openings? Make sure to check out their company page on VentureFizz!
Where did you grow up? What did your parents do for work?
I grew up in Topsfield Massachusetts. My dad worked as a Global Commodity Manager and my mom worked part time doing outside sales for a Machine Tooling and Abrasives company.
Where did you go to college? What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?
I graduated from Salem State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, I took a lot of Computer Science classes in addition to the standard business curriculum. I was lucky enough to intern at Vestmark all four years of my college career and was hired full-time to the Production Support team right after I graduated.
What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?
My role as an intern on the support team was key in propelling me into the position I have now. Working as an intern I feel I was able to grow with the company, which gave me a good foundation and understanding of how Vestmark operates. By doing the groundwork during college, I was able to build relationships with people in various departments throughout Vestmark. This allowed me to gain experience in the Vestmark software and gain knowledge of the soft skills needed to thrive in the real world. My education, experience and training has given me the opportunity to be trusted with large tasks early in my career. This type of exposure has helped me build the foundation that allowed me to flourish once I became a full-time employee.
Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as a Sr. Customer Engineer at Vestmark?
I work on an Agile Scrum team that onboards new clients and tailors the Vestmark software to meet their business needs. I work with our internal team as well as client representatives to efficiently deliver these solutions.
Any tips for someone considering a career in your field?
Establish good working relationships with your peers, I wouldn’t be where I am today if I wasn’t surrounded by great people who want to do things the “Right Way” and are willing to share their knowledge and experience. It's priceless to be able to have a group of people you can trust to bounce questions off of and who will challenge you to be better. Having this type of group of people helps build confidence and increases the quality of the work and product that you deliver. Once you’ve been built up to be a real contributor, it's equally as important to return the favor to the next new hire. This allows for a solid network to be built, and you really find out how much you know about a topic once you try to teach it to someone new. I believe that having these relationships will help you succeed and make the work you do more enjoyable.
Day in the Life
Coffee, tea, or nothing?
One coffee in the morning and another after lunch.
What time do you start working?
When I’m working from home, I start my day around 8 AM, but when I head into the office it may be closer to 9 AM.
What are three things that motivate you in your role?
Customer satisfaction, being a great teammate, and continuing to grow my own knowledge and learn new skills.
Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?
First, I log in and check messages and review my assigned tasks for the sprint. Then I meet with my team for our stand up at 9 AM. From there, I work on my assigned stories for the rest of the morning or until the next meeting with our scrum team in the afternoon. The customer engineers usually have daily touch point to review where we each are with the work assigned and plan out the best next steps.
What time do you typically wrap up the work day?
My typical workday usually ends between 5:30 and 6 PM depending on when I can find a good stopping point for the day.
Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?
I try to shut it down completely on a normal day. Of course, there are some nights and weekends where I need to stay engaged. Notice this work ahead of time helps manage the work life balance.
Any productivity hacks?
I try to keep my mind fresh with different types of puzzles and problem-solving games. Something simple like a daily Wordle or Sudoku or even a 1000+ piece puzzle at night with my fiancé. I find it helpful to challenge myself in different ways as it leads me to approach problems in my day-to-day with a new train of thought.
What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?
Zoom, Slack, and BitBucket
What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?
Being able to transition from my role in Production Support to being a Customer Engineer is my proudest accomplishment to date. I had to step out of my comfort zone, away from the team I had worked with for so long, and away from my manager whom I still have a great relationship with. There were a lot of unknowns to this career change, but I evaluated my options and after a few days of going back and forth and restless nights I decided to take the leap and try to establish myself in a new department. I still have a way to go to get myself to where I want to be but so far, I have been able to make the most of my opportunity. It is the willingness to step out of my comfort zone and trust in my own ability that I am most proud of.
Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?
As I stated above, I have a great group of people I work with every day and many of whom I admire but the first person I always ask for advice is my dad. Although he works in a different industry, he’s always able to understand the issue I’m facing and can relate stories from his work experience. He can’t solve the issue at hand but sometimes him asking “Well did you talk to a subject matter expert?” or just giving me a story that will make me laugh and provides the reassurance that I have good judgment and I can trust in my knowledge and experience. I truly appreciate and admire my dad and without his help and encouragement, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
