I Just Did My First Code Commit at Principal Financial!

I recently banged out my first git commit at my new job. It was small and simple, but I'm proud of it.

The job is at Principal Financial Group as a front end engineer. Principal is a financial company primarily focused on providing workplace retirement plans: 401ks, 403bs, and so on.

I'm really happy about getting the gig, but not just because I'm no longer jobless (lol)! I'm happy because I really like the company.

I'm working within a software stack that's just as modern as any hip startup you can think of. I'm assuming the company doesn't want me openly discussing this stack in detail, so I won't.

But I will say that the stack's code is well-organized and well-documented. Plus, the various dev teams work hard to prevent the "broken windows", fixing errors as fast as they can.

The teams I'm working with are just as helpful as they are diverse. I've searched the documentation for answers, but everyone I've encountered is eager to help when asked.

On a personal note, I'm REALLY excited to work for a workplace retirement company. See, I started my Revlon job as a contractor, and the 401k my staffing agency offered was lousy.

I was de facto forced to create my own retirement plan, so I spent time researching the various investment vehicles. Roth IRAs, traditional IRAs, brokerage accounts, etc.

Consequently, this led to my "going down a rabbit hole" on personal investing. I absorbed as much knowledge as I could about how these plans, and mutual funds, work in general.

So I'm naturally curious about the business process behind investments like this. And I'm excited to learn more.

If I have any issue, it's the lack of food choices close to the office. But a pretty good bagel place just opened up down the street, so I have hope for growth.

Here's to the new gig!!!