Kelly, CTO at Scholarly: Advize Career Interview

A Loyola Marymount University graduate with degrees in film production and computer science, Kelly's career journey showcases a dynamic path from software internships and co-founding a venture-backed startup to becoming the CTO of Scholarly.

This inspiring professional's responsibilities encompass product development, team building, and ensuring customer satisfaction at Scholarly, a fast-growing company.

The daily activities are varied, balancing hiring, customer interaction, and project prioritization, with a strong emphasis on customer empathy as a critical skill, even surpassing technical proficiency.

A significant takeaway from Kelly's experience is the importance of a strong team and the unexpected benefits of extracurricular activities like improv.

The edtech industry's fast-paced nature and the ability to make a tangible impact on universities daily are highlighted as major draws.

Aspiring professionals should consider their personal finances and risk tolerance when choosing between startups and established companies, with Kelly emphasizing the value of building a strong professional network and developing strong technical skills paired with business acumen and customer empathy.

Advizer Information

Name

Job Title

Company

Undergrad

Grad Programs

Majors

Industries

Job Functions

Traits

Kelly Sutton

CTO

Scholarly

Loyola Marymount University

N/A

Computer Science

Technology

Product / Service / Software Development and Management

Honors Student

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Career Path Of A CTO At Scholarly

Kelly, a Loyola Marymount University graduate with degrees in film production and computer science, gained early experience through internships at various software companies before co-founding a venture-backed startup. After its closure in 2015, Kelly joined Gusto as engineer number 20, witnessing its growth to 2,500 employees before transitioning to their current CTO role at Scholarly, demonstrating a career path marked by entrepreneurial ventures and significant contributions to scaling technology companies.

Career Path Of A CTO At Scholarly

Main Responsibilities of a CTO at Scholarly

As co-founder and CTO of a venture-backed startup, Kelly's responsibilities are "pretty wide," encompassing product development, team building ("building the product and building the team that builds the product"), and ensuring customer satisfaction and data security. Beyond this, day-to-day operations including IT management, such as "making sure employees have their computers and that they can connect to the internet," also fall under Kelly's purview.

Main Responsibilities of a CTO at Scholarly

A Day in the Life of a CTO at Scholarly

A chief technology officer's daily activities vary based on company size and stage; Kelly at Scholarly, in a small company setting, starts with a brief company-wide standup ("15 to 30 minutes"), then balances hiring, customer interaction, project prioritization, and team collaboration, with hands-on coding becoming less frequent.

A Day in the Life of a CTO at Scholarly

Most Important Skills For A CTO At Scholarly

Kelly, Scholarly's CTO, highlights "customer empathy" as the most crucial skill, surprisingly exceeding even technical proficiency, for success in their growing company. This requires translating customer needs into effective code, demonstrating the importance of bridging the gap between user experience and technical excellence.

Most Important Skills For A CTO At Scholarly

Favorite Parts of Being a Chief Technology Officer at Scholarly

Kelly, Scholarly's CTO, most enjoys "working with customers and working with the team," developing software for universities and building relationships with "great people"—knowing many customers by their first names. The strong team collaboration makes coming to work each day fulfilling, allowing Kelly to "build the future with the team."

Favorite Parts of Being a Chief Technology Officer at Scholarly

Biggest Challenges Faced by a Chief Technology Officer at Scholarly

Kelly, Scholarly's CTO, identifies hiring as the biggest challenge in her role at the growing company, noting that it "takes a lot of time" and consumes "25 to 50% of [her] week" per candidate. This highlights the significant leadership time commitment demanded by effective talent acquisition in a scaling organization.

Biggest Challenges Faced by a Chief Technology Officer at Scholarly

Favorite Parts Of Working In The Ed Tech Software Industry As A CTO

Kelly, Scholarly's CTO, enjoys the dynamic nature of the edtech software industry, stating that "customers will…send us a request in the morning, and oftentimes we can get that turned around by the end of the day." This allows for the creation of software that "helps universities run better" and ultimately "delighting" their clients.

Favorite Parts Of Working In The Ed Tech Software Industry As A CTO

What Type Of Person Thrives In The Tech Industry, According To A CTO At Scholarly

Kelly, Scholarly's CTO, highlights the importance of strong technical skills—"really, really good at writing code"—combined with business acumen and customer empathy for success in the tech industry. The ability to ask "why am I writing this code? What is the customer expecting?" is key to thriving, according to Kelly.

What Type Of Person Thrives In The Tech Industry, According To A CTO At Scholarly

What A Chief Technology Officer At Scholarly Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Software Industry

Kelly, Scholarly's CTO, wishes they had understood the vast diversity of companies in the tech industry—"everything from two people in a garage to companies like Microsoft"—and the varying dynamics of working in startups versus large corporations. The experience of building something from the ground up versus having "a lot of impact" on a small feature at a massive company are starkly different, highlighting the need for early-career professionals to learn how to evaluate a company's potential for success.

What A Chief Technology Officer At Scholarly Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Software Industry

Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Chief Technology Officers

When considering entry-level positions, a computer science graduate should assess "personal finances" and "risk appetites" before deciding between a smaller startup or a more established company; the latter offers a "less sink or swim environment" to gain experience and financial stability before potentially starting a company.

Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Chief Technology Officers

Significant Career Lesson From a Chief Technology Officer at Scholarly

Kelly, Scholarly's CTO, identifies a significant career lesson as prioritizing "the folks that I'm working with," emphasizing that "a great team" fosters a positive work environment and leads to better products; this translates to "you look forward to going to work. You're energized by it."

Significant Career Lesson From a Chief Technology Officer at Scholarly

College Experiences That Helped a CTO at Scholarly Succeed

While emphasizing the importance of hard work and focusing on studies, Kelly highlights an unexpected contributor to their career success: joining the improv team at Loyola Marymount University. This experience, described as "putting myself out there," fostered valuable skills, built strong friendships, and ultimately changed their trajectory, proving that "get[ting] out there, do[ing] something weird, [and] hav[ing] fun" can be unexpectedly beneficial.

College Experiences That Helped a CTO at Scholarly Succeed

Advizer Personal Links

https://kellysutton.com