Meet Chandler Keyes | CEO of Kodeably | Software Engineering Manager at Integral

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chandler Keyes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chandler, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
The tech community lacks diverse talent; Kodeably aims to connect minorities and under-represented individuals to their dream position. There are over 4 million job openings in technology today; we see those openings as opportunities to diversify the community. White employees are over-represented in tech leadership, as 62% of tech employees are white, leaving the district with 38% minorities. Our primary goal is to help close the diversity gap – helping both individuals and businesses connect to build better solutions in the tech space.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

This past year, I achieved a milestone that I once thought was impossible – starting my own business. Becoming my own boss felt like a fantasy, but my impostor syndrome kept telling me that I wouldn’t be a successful business owner while working full time.

In March 2021, I started Kodeably with a drastically different business model than what it is today. At the time, my vision was to run a successful web development business. After getting my first client, I realized how hard it would be to manage my Software Engineering job and a Web Development business. I found myself coding over 12 hours per day, and the burnout kicked in quickly. It was not only discouraging but made me question my business goals. I asked myself, do you enjoy coding 24/7? Is this what you want in the foreseeable future? My gut feeling told me that this isn’t what’s suitable for myself and Kodeably.

I began to ask myself, what’s a significant problem in tech today? And then it clicked; there’s a lack of underrepresented individuals in the industry. Being in many groups and communities with minorities, I saw this as an opportunity to utilize the resources I already had. After brainstorming for weeks, I constructed a new business model centered around recruiting minorities into the tech field.

While this business model felt less time-consuming than developing websites, it was not very comforting because I had zero experience in the services I planned to offer. Recruitment always had a terrible taste in my mouth. My past experiences with recruiters were getting rejected and ignored without any feedback on how to do better in the future. Becoming what I had perceived recruiters as was not ideal for me. I told myself that if I were to recruit, I needed to be the recruiter I wish I had worked with in the past.

One of the biggest challenges I faced was jumping head first into recruitment with no experience. I spent hours completing Udemy and LinkedIn courses to educate myself on the art of recruiting while trying to keep up with my software engineering skills at work. While it was intimidating to learn about an entirely different field, I had a vast support system that helped me bypass some of the challenges of jumping into a different role. My mentors, who are very successful recruiters, guided me through the things to look out for, avoid, and implement in my process to make recruiting more seamless while working full-time.

One of the significant lessons I learned as an entrepreneur and software engineer is that having a mentor is key to success. It would have taken a lot longer to learn the practices of being a recruiter without my mentors. You must ask yourself – whom are you learning from? Have they achieved your goals? Do they represent whom you want to become? If you answered no, they don’t make a great mentor candidate for you.

Starting Kodeably a year ago was one of the best decisions. Not only because I achieved a personal milestone, but because of the knowledge I have built through the challenges and the amazing people who have helped me along the way.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I always considered Houston the perfect spot for family and friends to come together and build memories. When planning the perfect day in Houston, I like to start with brunch. One of my favorite brunch spots is CoCo Crepes Waffles & Coffee. Their pastries, coffee, and breakfast crepe (add chicken) are fantastic.

During the day, I like to be outdoors and enjoy the sun. Taking long walks at the Buffalo Bayou with an iced coffee totally hits the spot. One of the most simple & satisfying spots is Velvet Taco during lunch, and it’s my favorite place to introduce new people.

My favorite way to end the day is by watching movies. If you’re looking for a comfortable place with a fantastic view, I highly recommend it! I recently discovered a cozy spot – Rooftop Cinema Club.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
During my senior year in high school, never having written a line of code, I grabbed coffee with a fantastic woman, Jaime Fitzgerald. We discussed our career goals, and she told me how the tech field is growing in opportunities and is deeply in need of women and minorities. She told me my chances of success were very high, despite how much I did not see that as a future for myself. I only dreamt of becoming a video editor and getting a major in Film, so Computer Science sounded way out of my league.

That summer, after high school graduation in June 2017, I decided to go through a coding Bootcamp at Grand Circus in Detroit, Michigan. This 10-week Java Bootcamp kick-started my entire journey in tech. After completing the coding Bootcamp, I applied for over 200 jobs and was rejected so many times that I lost count, but 200 rejections weren’t enough to give up.

On month 3 of job hunting, I landed an entry-level position as a Software Engineer. Now I’m in year 5 of being a Software Engineer, and I have met some amazing women.

Five years into my career, as was presented with an exciting offer; to become Software Engineering Manager. Having impostor syndrome, I planned to turn down the option and wait until I felt ready. Until another amazing woman, my sister Sade encouraged me to accept the opportunity. My manager at the time told the leadership team that she had faith I’d be a great manager, despite my doubts.

Coincidentally, Sade was promoted to Training Manager for Physician Assistants. She had the same feeling of self-doubt but still accepted the offer. She explained that others see the potential in me that I don’t, which speaks for itself.

The women in my life have impacted me in so many ways that I can genuinely say I owe it to them.

Website: https://kodeably.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kodeably/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandlerkeyes/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kodeably

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kodeably.inc

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkeSKp49ycaZRlGKkCRRi1g