Get to know Nate Fort, Senior Mobile Engineer who's part of the ezyVet development team in Auckland. 👨💻 We learn what he gets up to in his role, the projects he's working on, and where he has gone so far.
What made you want to join ezyVet?
The job ad for ezyVet painted a fun and challenging environment and a quick Google search showed a company that was growing fast. This was back in 2018 and it’s still the case. During the interview process I found there was plenty of room to grow my career and the option to move into a mobile developer role was also something I was looking for. Plus, my code would go towards helping a vet help an animal – who doesn’t like that?
How would you describe your day job to a 3-year-old?
When animals aren’t feeling well, someone called a vet comes to look at the animal and makes the animal feel better. At my job, I build tools that help the vets do their job faster so they can spend as much time helping the animals.
What has been your experience in the tech industry so far? How did you get to where you are today?
After university, I did an internship building a website with the purpose of helping tech businesses find resources to scale north of Auckland. Following on from that I joined ezyVet. During my time at ezyVet I’ve done a few roles. I went from a graduate to intermediate full stack developer in my first 18 months as well as being a scrum master for my team. I then changed to intermediate mobile engineer before taking on a six month secondment as the product owner for the mobile team and more recently I was promoted to senior mobile engineer.
How does your day-to-day work help ezyVet customers?
I work on developing ezyVet’s mobile offerings. As many of our customers are veterinarians that travel out to rural places to treat animals, we need to provide options where internet coverage isn’t the best. Our current ezyVet Go app helps vets in the field record important clinical information and ensures billing is accurate. I also play a role in decision making for future apps coming down the pipeline which will help maintain accurate inventory levels for the vet practice and an app connecting animal owners and the vet practices they use. 💪
Was there a memorable moment with a customer?
During my time at ezyVet I did a secondment as a product owner for the mobile team. I was shadowing a veterinarian in the field to see what improvements could be made to our ezyVet Go app and found myself on a cattle farm. I’m not sure where the farmhand was but I quickly found myself being directed by a true-blue Kiwi farmer to help wrangle some cows into a pen. Moving half a ton in weight of large animals wasn’t exactly the challenge I envisioned for that and it sure was an experience I’ll never forget. 🐄🐄🐄
What big projects are you working on?
I’m currently adding biometric login to our existing app, working on our new inventory management app, and setting up the architecture for our client portal app. This is the online portal for pet owners where our customer’s clients, can log into to book appointments or view their pet’s medical history.
In 3 years, what do you hope to have achieved at ezyVet?
To have been a driving force in delivering a range of quality mobile apps and running my own team of mobile engineers.
If you could do any other job for one day, what would it be?
Tough one, I would have to say piloting a Westpac rescue helicopter. 🚁
If you could pick anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?
Sir Ian Taylor – an amazing innovator in the NZ tech industry.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I used to have quite a long hobby list like fishing, flying race drones, 3d printing, beekeeping, motorcycle rides to name a few but since having children I just enjoy spending time with my family and being the best dad I can be. Any other free time I have I put towards learning the guitar. 🎸
Do you have any pets, what are they like?
My family has two dogs, a medium-sized mixed breed rescue dog who loves to sleep and raid the trash bin, and a Husky who has the most loving nature.
What is your favorite quote?
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill
Do you have any advice for people thinking of applying to work for the company?
Be ready for a challenge, be ready to learn and grow, be ready to make a difference, be ready to work alongside amazing people, and most importantly - be yourself. 👍