On the Map: Salam Al Yahya - Software Engineer

Experiential traveler, software engineer. Where to begin describing one of our latest additions to the Guestlogix team? Salam Al Yahya is a Software Engineer, working in the area of web development. He is also an accomplished video blogger, filmmaker, and with a passion for travel. Sounds like a perfect fit for our team, wouldn’t you say? Salam’s journey of moving from Saudi Arabia to Canada, pursuing an education in software engineering at Western University in Ontario, and finding a career at Guestlogix is a whole story unto itself.  But as fate would have it, his adventure isn’t over yet. If you haven't already read about it, Salam was also the big, lucky winner in our Dream Job, Dream Adventure Contest. We asked new job candidates to submit a creative presentation that described why they felt they would be a perfect fit with our team. Salam’s submission (which can be viewed here) ended up taking the top honors. In this On the Map, we talk with Salam to find out how he feels about his first few weeks here and how he plans to spend the $20,000 for his traveling adventure.

Ask and answers

WM: What drew you to Guestlogix?

Salam: In my experience, I’ve been exposed to different kinds of teams. Some were challenging. I was excited about Guestlogix because the delivery team is building a system from the very early stages. It’s not just going about things because that's the way they had been done in the past. We can have a say about how we want to build it for the future. Software evolves really fast, iteratively. Being held back by older technology makes it difficult to deal with constant change. Some companies will try to employ new technologies and try to retro-fit it with the older technologies, but it makes for a confusing system. I was drawn to Guestlogix because of the new and mature technology we’d be employing.

WM: Tell us about your video submission

Salam: When I first came to Canada, I used to make videos on YouTube. I traveled across Canada, doing adventurous, out-doors stuff. Back in my hometown (and when I was really young) I used to do a lot of photography and participated in showing at some of the local galleries. I’d love to have the opportunity to travel more and make more content as I travel. Once I moved to Canada, it was difficult because of the travel restrictions placed on people like me with student or work visas. But hopefully I can get back to traveling more often.

WM: Where are you thinking about going on your adventure?

Salam: Right now I don’t have a specific destination in mind. I’d always wanted to visit some parts of Europe. I want to visit Spain, Amsterdam is definitely on the list. But I also want to visit South Africa too, and Madagascar. There are some trees that only grow on that island and look like they’re from Jurassic Park. I don’t have a plan just yet, but I will definitely try to take pictures and videos to share this adventure with everyone back home.