Rent the Runway’s Mark Kenny discusses his role in software engineering and his experience working abroad.
“I was born and raised in Kilkenny and went to college at UL where I studied computer programming and then a masters degree. I left Ireland in 2005 after finishing college and moved to London,” Mark Kenny told SiliconRepublic.com.
After moving in his 20s, Kenny, a software engineer at Rent the Runway, explained at first that the program would only last a few years, but said, “I was drawn to everything the city had to offer and I ended up staying for nine years.”
Kenny added, “At the time, there were no jobs in graduate roles. I completed my first degree when the dot com bubble burst and no one was taking graduate positions. To buy time, I did a masters degree but the tech sector had not recovered, especially in Ireland.”
“Most of my classmates were heading abroad or taking roles unrelated to what we had studied. For me, London was an obvious choice as it was close to home, a diverse job market, and an opportunity to explore various careers. It’s important to note that at the time, I didn’t think of it as moving abroad, but I was away for just a few years before returning.”
What made you decide to come back?
My children, especially. My wife and I had our first child and lived in London for a year and found it difficult. There was no safety net, no one to pick up the children in an emergency or help in any other way. Don’t get me wrong, London is an interesting place to live, especially in your twenties, but we found it a different proposition when trying to put down roots and raise children. At that time renting, never mind buying a house in a decent area, was beyond our means. We wanted our children to grow up in a family and in a place where they could live as long as possible.
How did your current role come about?
After a few years running my own business, I was ready for a new challenge when I joined Rent the Runway last year. Going from a startup to a big company was a big change, but I have to admit, the people at Rent the Runway made the transition very smooth. During the interview process, it was refreshing to meet a team that truly understood my unique background and experience.
What does your job involve every day?
My day to day involves working as a full time developer within a small team based in Ireland. It’s great to have the whole team here in Ireland, as it helps foster strong collaboration and close working relationships. I work as part of a growing team with teams here in Galway and our main offices in Brooklyn, New York.
What do you love most about your job?
The role itself is very diverse, which I really enjoy. On any given day I might be working on front-end user experience, back-end services, integration, or developing internal tools and functionality. A large part of the role also involves working with product managers, designers and other engineers to plan features and refine requirements, which gives me valuable insight into various areas of the business and how other teams work.
Working in a small team means there is a strong sense of ownership. We are involved in the entire full development life cycle from discussing ideas and technical methods, to implementation, testing, implementation and post-release testing. That level of involvement keeps the job interesting. What stands out though are the people.
How did your employer make it easy for you to go back?
My story is a bit unusual as when I joined Rent the Runway, I had been back in Ireland for a few years, running my own company. So moving home was something I planned for myself. When I went back I worked remotely so now having the flexibility to work in a hybrid is amazing. There are also other good things about work such as Fridays that are half days in the summer.
Did your time working abroad make you better suited for your job?
While living in London I had the opportunity to explore different career paths. I worked as a recording engineer, which involved dealing with very interesting, and often complex, people. I also worked as a teacher and managed a college before starting my own business, where I designed and built software systems from the ground up. Each role brought its own unique challenges and learning experiences. During that time, I worked with other people with extraordinary skills and learned to adapt to different industries. That combination of hands-on engineering experience and real commercial exposure has been really valuable in a role like this, where thinking beyond the code itself is an important part of the role.
What is the best thing about being back in Ireland?
99s and curry chips. But beyond that, it’s definitely a way of life, without a doubt. Raising children close to family and old friends, having more space, a sense of community, these are the things you really notice when you’ve lived a long time without them. The tech scene has also changed beyond recognition since I left. Ireland now has some of the best engineering opportunities in Europe, with major global companies based here and a successful environmental start-up system around them. With the rise of hybrid and remote work, you also have the freedom to live in some of the best places in the country while building a solid career.
What advice would you give to others who are considering returning to their home country?
Don’t wait for the perfect time, there isn’t one. It’s also much easier to move home when you have few relationships, so before the kids start school or before you’re focused on the housing market. If possible, keeping your existing job and negotiating a long-term job can make the transition smoother as well. It is also important to understand the cost of living changes, when we went back, USC was a completely new tax on us.
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