Welcome to AptAmigo’s Spotlight Series, where we highlight some of the amazing people who make up our team. We’ll be chatting with people who work in a variety of roles, so check back often or view the entire series.
When it comes to fully embracing a journey into a brand new career path, Laura Gilligan is our shining example. She started her AptAmigo career as an Operations Coordinator, then trained to move into our Tech Department as a Data Analyst, rising to the challenge of teaching herself a new coding language. Her willingness to step up to the plate and constantly ask, “How can I help?” and “What can be improved?,” only scratches the surface of her impact on the technology AptAmigo built.
Laura says she first started coding “in 8th grade. I actually learned HTML and coded my Tumblr blog! I would change the layout of it all the time just because I could, and it was so exciting to see all of the possibilities in front of me. I even monetized it, and that was essentially my introduction to the tech industry. Later in life, after working in advertising and deciding that it was not the career for me, I realized that I wanted a more technical 9-to-5 career. Looking for that alongside my own love of real estate and apartments is where AptAmigo came in.”
Related: How to Successfully Change Careers in Real Estate
“I never thought that I’d be in a position to switch into a tech role, but that’s what AptAmigo allowed me to do. I’ve really loved being able to change and expand my career here.”
Even as an Operations Coordinator, Laura would ask to help out in different departments between her primary duties, and that led her to Sam, our Chief Technology Officer: “He saw that I caught on very quickly, so after about a year and a half of being an Operations Coordinator, he asked if I was up to the challenge of learning the Python coding language and our database in order to change my career path. Of course I was up for the challenge! I had no hesitation whatsoever. My training with Sam was very hands-on, but he encouraged me to be independent in learning new skills and work by trial-and-error. The thing about using Python is that there are so many different ways to come up with the same solution, but we work together to find the most efficient way to code in terms of memory and storage for our site.”
Laura stays at AptAmigo because, she says, “I know that everyone out there wants to have a say in their apartment. That’s why I’m so passionate about building out more information in our portal. I want to give both our clients and our teams all the tools they need to make the apartment hunting process as smooth as possible. Plus, it’s really fun! This line of work challenges you to find the best solution. I’ve grown so much personally and professionally, and the people here are truly spectacular. It really makes me look forward to seeing how much more I can learn at AptAmigo and how our progress unfolds in the years to come!”
Interested in Working for AptAmigo?
We’re rapidly disrupting the rental real estate industry, and we’re always looking for highly motivated individuals to join our team and grow with us. Click below to view all open positions, or learn more about our company culture.
AptAmigo is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and does not discriminate based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law, in connection with any aspect of employment at AptAmigo.
