Team Member Spotlight: Alan Boo

It’s not that Alan Boo sees problems everywhere he looks, but he does gravitate towards solving them. Whether it is in his work life as a software engineer or navigating every slab and crag while rock climbing, he’s looking for practical and impactful solutions.

Growing up, he was always interested in computers but hadn’t planned to make a career out of them. He originally studied biology with the thought of going into medicine, but when he discovered computer programming in college it was the problem solving aspect that really appealed to him.

“I really enjoy identifying the problem, analyzing the requirements, developing solutions, and then implementing them,” he said. “It allows me to continue to take on new challenges and always learn something new.”

Boo joined Appstem in April 2022 after two years of freelance work. The pandemic country shut down shortly after his college graduation from San Jose State University and the recent grad was facing hiring freezes and many people competing for few available positions. Then earlier this year, his classmate Tommy Lin, an Appstem employee, let him know the company was hiring.

Boo’s focus has mostly been on front-end development, like in his work on an app for Tizzy that is designed to train athletes across all kinds of sports with different workout programs and coaching programs. He wants to work on back-end projects as well so that he can develop his skills to become a full stack developer - and maybe a manager one day. 

“The first few months here have been incredibly fast paced and challenging, but I’ve already learned so much,” he said. “I see a long future here at Appstem because I will be able to work on a variety of projects and learn from experienced software engineers and the rest of the team.”

His next problem to solve: moving his indoor rock climbing skills outside and continuing his ascent, personally and professionally.