In this month’s employee spotlight, we’re getting to know Zack Moss, Software Engineer at FISPAN. Having joined the team as a co-op in the same position, Zack works on engineering features and improvements for our backend connections to ERPs.
Zack graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor Of Science in Computer Science and Statistics. Prior to FISPAN, Zack held a position at TD Bank where he built a strong foundation in banking and finance, and Xantrex Technologies learning software engineering, app development, and firmware engineering.
Let’s get to know a little more about Zack, how he turned rejection into motivation, and why it’s important to not be afraid of trying new things!
Zack's dog Zoey prefers when he works from home!
What key factors initially attracted you to joining FISPAN?
Can I say spite? When I was applying for jobs for my first co-op term, FISPAN seemed like a cool and interesting company, so I applied, and made it all the way through the interview process. It was a disaster. It was my first technical interview, and I think I was paralyzed enough by nerves that I forgot anything about code. No shock to me, I didn’t get the job. When I was applying for another co-op term I saw the same co-op position up again, and decided to go for it. I think my exact words were “how funny would it be if I got the job this time?”. This time I actually knew what I was talking about! Though the fear set in a bit when I realized my initial interviewer who rejected me, Florian was going to be my manager. It definitely pushed me early on to try and prove myself that he was wrong the first time!
Around The World: Zack meets a camel in the desert (left) and is pictured enjoying the picturesque views in Greece (right)
What is a typical workday like for you at FISPAN?
I think the quick answer is I fix stuff, I break stuff, and I fix the things I broke. The long answer is I spend most of my time working on implementing new features and improvements in my team's areas of our platform, and fixing bugs that come up. I participate in all the usual sprint related meetings for my team, as well as closely collaborate with the product team on the new features we’re adding.
What advice do you have for prospective FISPAN employees?
The biggest thing I’ve learned here is to not be afraid to try new things, learn new things, and be ambitious. That and ask a lot of questions from your co-workers. Through my journey from co-op to full time engineer there’s definitely been lots of learning along the way, but I really think a lot of that is due to learning from the great people I work with. Florian (my manager) can probably attest to the multiple millions of questions I’ve asked. When you combine that with some overly ambitious projects, you’d be amazed at what you can accomplish!
Zack joins the FISPAN team at the KidSafe Golf Charity tournament
Why did you choose a career in FinTech?
I’ve always had an interest in Finance as a field, so I spent a little over a year working as a teller at a retail bank. When you see thousands of clients and transactions you see lots of areas for improvement. Something just clicked and I realized that I could be working to make all those client’s lives easier. That’s really what sparked my interest in working in FinTech. I still think back to some of those bank clients and think about how much easier FISPAN could be making their transactions.
What is a fun fact about you?
I ran a half marathon on a bet. I’m also training/racing in the Grand Fondo (cycling race from Vancouver to Whistler) on a different bet. I should probably stop answering everything with “I bet you I can…”
Where is your favourite place to eat in Vancouver?
Savio Volpe is one of my personal favorites for Italian food! This is a tough question though! There’s so much good food in Vancouver!
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Get to know more about Zack by checking out his LinkedIn and discover more about a potential career at FISPAN by checking out our page.