LEOPARD SPOTLIGHT: Dominic Laudate ’17

After graduation, Dominic dove into the startup world, quickly advancing from software engineer to senior roles while mentoring others and shaping company culture. Today, Dominic combines his love for technology and adventure by working remotely as a contract engineer, building his own company, ScheduleLab, and living nomadically around the globe. His story is a testament to the power of co-op experiences, lifelong learning, and the confidence to embrace new opportunities.

What path did you take after graduation, and what was the most valuable lesson you learned during your transition from student life to the professional world? What inspired you to pursue your field of study or career path?

I jumped straight into the startup world after Wentworth. I had worked at one large company, GSN Games, and a larger startup, SessionM, as part of my co-ops at WIT and realized I much preferred the smaller company. I joined Barkly Protects, a cybersecurity company specializing in machine learning, and it couldn’t have been a better job to start after graduation. They were -impressed with the skills I learned at my past coops and the time I spent working with Accelerate and on my own company. I got hired as a full software engineer and helped implement major features until the company ran out of cash. From my connections made with coworkers there, I had a new job at another startup, Embark Veterinary, within a month. I stayed there for over four years, climbed up the ladder to become a senior software engineer, and came away with more experience than I could have ever asked for. I worked on every part of their stack, crafted one of the most enjoyable interview screenings, and helped mentor several younger employees, just to name a few things I did. After that, I took my current part time position at Knowmadics through a connection from Embark and have been loving it. The freedom and flexibility they give me is second to none. In the future, my goal is to grow my own company, ScheduleLab, enough to support myself. 

The most valuable lesson I learned was how important it is to pick your co-ops and jobs wisely. Those first few positions are your time to get ahead, learn, and set yourself up for success later on in life. Ensuring those companies let you build your skills and push you to be better is crucial. Setting short term goals and striving for them also helped me a lot. Long term goals are good but difficult when life can change so fast. I like to leave myself open for whatever comes my way. 

Funny enough, I didn’t even know my field existed until about a year before applying to Wentworth. I loved technology as a kid and took any opportunity to play on a computer. In high school, I learned to make games in MIT’s Scratch application and then pivoted to making apps for mobile devices using Stencyl. At some point, someone asked me what I would do in college and I said I didn’t know, maybe architecture since I was good at those classes in high school. They asked why I don’t go into computer science since it is so similar to what I already do. I learned a new major that day and told my mom I was going to make games as my career. Her response was, “Huh, I guess someone does have to do that, right?”. While I didn’t go into game development per se, software engineering is pretty close. 

What is one pivotal moment or experience that shaped your professional life? 

The most pivotal moment I had was when a coworker intentionally let me fail at one of the tasks I was working on. His goal was to teach me it is okay to ask more questions even if I think I don’t need to. I had a habit of either making assumptions or waiting too long to bring up concerns. The result was me having to redo most of my work but I’ve never forgotten that. I am now one of the more talkative people during meetings and in company chats because I am not scared to ask questions and get information before starting. This not only benefits me, but also everyone else around since some of them are thinking the same thing but may not be willing to speak up. 

How did your time at Wentworth influence who you are today? 

Wentworth gave me the opportunity to become who I wanted to be. Before going to college, basically everyone in my life already had set expectations and kind of boxed in who I would be. I went to college out of state and far enough away from everything I knew to change that. Before WIT I was the super shy kid who avoided interaction but after I was happy to socialize and talk to anyone. Some family members thought I would fail out because I was away from home but to their surprise, I aced my classes and ended up moving to Boston. Maybe most colleges give this experience, but Wentworth will get credit for letting me be me. I now have many lifelong friends and a career that I love, all because I chose to go to Wentworth. 

What challenges have you faced, and how did you overcome them? 

Most issues I face are always with regards to other people. I am a very rational person and don’t do so well when there isn’t data to back something up or arguments turn emotional. In any of these cases, the solution is the same, be patient and continue communicating. Sometimes the other person or I need a break, but at the end of the day, you both need to come to some conclusion or resentment towards each other will build. I go into any conversation or situation expecting the people I am working with are operating under their best intentions. Most people in my experience are not out to harm us so going into situations in a good mindset typically sets the tone and direction to be successful. 

What advice would you give to students or recent graduates entering your industry? 

For students, take as many electives as possible and take advantage of the coops! I learned in my third year that I could have been taking the advanced electives on my own at any point. If I knew that before, I could have learned a few more skills before graduating. As for coops, these give you the experience that companies are really looking for. WIT’s classes and professors are great, but nothing can match on-the-job training. 

For recent graduates, software engineering is a competitive field. With the introduction of AI, finding jobs is even more difficult. There are plenty of opportunities out there, but you have to make yourself stand out. Having your own project or company you work on was what helped set me apart when initially searching. Learning how and when to use AI will also help you be more efficient once you are hired into a company as well. 

What are you most proud of — professionally or personally — since graduating? 

Easily the life I am able to live right now. I live nomadically around the world but was previously living out of my car across the US. I was able to pay off my student loans within three years with the salary of my first two jobs after college, then used the extra money to start saving. COVID gave me the opportunity to work from home, which turned into working from anywhere. I now work part time as a contract software engineer living in remote places around the world. I will buy motorcycles in different countries, attach my bag to the back, and then start riding to random places on the map. I have met amazing people, seen breathtaking sights, and experienced ways of life I didn’t think existed all while being able to work on my laptop. 

Is there anything else you would like to share? 

Download ScheduleLab and make registration easier for yourself! I made the first generation of the app back when I was at WIT and it has been running ever since.