Carolyn Lam
Software Engineer
About Me
I'm a Front-End focused software engineer based in Salem, MA with 7 years of experience building delightful products. I enjoy crafting intuitive and compelling user experiences. Even though I specialize in Front-End development, I love working across the entire stack, connecting the layers, and taking on new challenges.
In my downtime, I write songs. They’re like my personal journal entries delivered with a melody, and they are very healing. I don’t know much about politics, but I’ve decided to change that and am slowly working my way through a nonpartisan book. It is dense, but one page at a time will eventually get me to the end. I also love nature, a good walk, and great conversation.
I’m also one of six children with the most inspiring mother. We’re all kind of spread out now, but we try to meet up when we can.
Software Engineer Journey
Brex
As a Front-End Engineer at Brex, I focused on delivering impactful, customer-facing features such as Accounting Fields, Custom Rules, and Accounting Journal. I collaborated closely with cross-functional teams and contributed to projects beyond my core responsibilities, including Budgeting and Integrations. I led the FE development for the Custom Field Management project, enhancing the creation flow for custom fields. Our tech stack included React, TypeScript, GraphQL, Apollo Client, and Storybook. Brex provided an environment where talented individuals made meaningful contributions, fostering my personal growth significantly.
HubSpot
At HubSpot, I was part of the Machine Learning Front-End team, leveraging React, TypeScript, and GraphQL to develop features for Conversation Intelligence that enabled deep insights from sales and customer service conversations. I created user-friendly tools like the Timestamp plugin and Tracked Terms feature, which enhanced workflow efficiency and delivered deeper market insights.
Tin Roof
While at Tin Roof, I worked on full-stack projects for clients such as Cox and Warner Media. Each project introduced me to diverse tech stacks, including GraphQL, Docker, MariaDB, and Puppeteer, promoting continuous learning and collaborative problem-solving. I applied these technologies to various projects, such as a system health dashboard that streamlined data aggregation from web sources.
The Home Depot
At The Home Depot, I led the migration of an internal legacy Angular application to a modernized version. Beyond front-end responsibilities, I engaged in backend collaboration, API design, and unit testing in Java. Drawing on my self-taught skills in React, I successfully proposed and implemented a new internal file application.
Special Education Experience
Before pivoting to tech, I worked in special education for over four years. My roles ranged from providing academic support for children with moderate to severe autism, helping them achieve a better quality of life, and babysitting young children with autism and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome to working as a resource specialist at an elementary school, supporting children with learning challenges.
Diverse Work Experiences
In my teens and early twenties, I explored a myriad of positions—from waitressing at a retirement home and crafting sandwiches to cashiering at a pizza shop, cleaning guide catheters, assembling Dunkin Donuts pods, teaching English to native Chinese speakers, and even attempting to sell vacuums. More often than not, however, I found myself cleaning homes door-to-door. A memorable moment was when I became a food runner at a fine dining restaurant and earned Employee of the Month in my very first month. The reward allowed me to treat myself and a friend to a very fancy meal.