This week for our employee spotlight series we have Lianne Bisch, a Software Engineer at Artemis. Lianne works closely with the Engineering team to bring in new ideas, implement better programming and overall helping build a better platform here at Artemis.

Why did you join Artemis?

Lianne:  In college I had the opportunity to work in a Biology lab and take environmental biology courses. Though I was working on bats, I was able to work along side others who were focused on horticulture and found their work fascinating.  So, when I saw that Artemis was hiring I immediately wanted to apply.  Being that I was one of few females in my college computer science program, it was great to see a technology company run by a female CEO and learn how she created such a strong company. Once I joined, I knew I made the right decision because everyone was so helpful and they created an atmosphere of learning and growth for their developers.

What were you doing before Artemis?

Lianne: I graduated Providence College with a computer science degree, but I realized a lot of my knowledge was more abstract and algorithm based, rather than practical day to day of how to build and work on an application. Then my cousin, who worked in hiring for a data company, suggested the App Academy boot camp, saying that it was a great program and they know they get good hires from it. The boot camp allowed me to learn about full stack development and once I graduated I jumped into the job search and was drawn to Artemis.

What is your favorite memory here?

Lianne: I’ve already made quite a few great memories here, but one that sticks out the most in my mind is a pairing session I had with one of the other developers. I was working on some code and needed some more explanation of one section so I asked a fellow dev and with that info I finished the code and sent it for review. While reviewing my work, the dev I messaged before wanted to call; I expected to be critiqued, make the new changes, then move on. However, this dev pulled me aside to talk about how when he was a new programmer he had made similar coding choices and pulled me aside in the same way his mentor did to him. I was impressed that instead of just telling me what to write to make the code better, he decided to take the time to explain why the choice I made was not optimal and the common pitfalls that some new devs fall into.  It made me feel like someone that the company wanted to invest in in order to make me a stronger programmer.

How long have you worked here?

Lianne: Since October, so about 8 months.

What’s your favorite core value?

Lianne:  “We align around solutions, not consensus”. I think it is so important to try to create the best product possible even if others may not agree. In the past, I have had to go along with a superior’s decision knowing that it may not be the best solution and having to bite my tongue. At Artemis, I’ve been able to see employees advocating for their solutions and have intelligent conversations with fellow team members and superiors, which, not only, made for an inclusive environment, but also, taught me a lot about different approaches to problems and the pros and cons of each option.

What’s been the weirdest adjustment from working wherever you were before to working here?

Lianne:  Being able to have a flexible schedule. Throughout all of my schooling and other jobs, I was always on a daily schedule that mapped out where I was supposed to be and what I was supposed to do during the day.  It is great knowing that if I need to make a doctors appointment I do not have to rush to a doctors office after 5pm. (It’s also nice to chose when I eat lunch because noon is too early for lunch for this breakfast lover.)

What would you recommend for potential future Artemis employees?

Lianne: Take time to learn about our founder Allison. She has been able to make great strides in Agritech and created a company with a positive work culture which she has built into Artemis’s core values. Since it is a small company, we get to know her and collaborate with her. It will give you a great idea of the kind of people who work here and the goals the company has set that motivate what we do.

How do you feel about remote work?

Lianne: I love it, especially because my commute to work only takes about 1 minute to get from my bed to my desk. I also appreciate not having to be constantly worried about bothering other people, such as ‘is my tapping on the desk annoying others’ or ‘are my headphones too loud’. I do miss hanging out with others and being able to lean over to a coworker to ask a question but Artemis has done a great job with using zoom and slack to build a community so it does not feel like you are alone.

What are you most excited about for the Artemis future?

Lianne: We recently hired two new developers so I am excited for what they have to teach us and what this means for the platform. Knowing that the company is growing means that there are new people to bounce ideas off of and more opportunities to make strong updates to our current programs and innovate for the future.

If you had $20 what would you do with it this weekend?

Lianne:  I’d go to my local ice cream shop and buy myself a big ol’ hot fudge sundae with as many toppings as will fit in the bowl!