Her job computes

Karla Lanser has been a software engineer for her whole career. But her journey into the field isn't your typical tech origin story. In high school, Lanser never considered going to college. “I wanted to live on a farm,” she said. But her mother had other ideas and insisted she attend a college night at her high school. “I flipped through the programs for the evening and chose to attend presentations that required the least amount of schooling — dental hygienist, a liberal arts degree, and I couldn't come up with a third.”

Eventually, she chose another one and went to a presentation from a representative for Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa. He talked about their computer programming degree, and something clicked for Lanser.

“It was a quick program about 18 months — and I thought, 'OK, that’s what I’ll do, ’Lanser said. Although the first few weeks in college were challenging, she stuck it out. “At first, I thought, ‘This isn’t for me.’ But then, suddenly, it all made sense, and I've been doing it ever since.”

This year, Lanser will celebrate 41 years in software engineering. “I've worked at different companies, but I’ve been at Grinnell for the last eleven-and-a-half years,” she said.

The changing face of technology

When asked how technology has changed over the years, Lanser said, “The physical equipment is one of the biggest differences. We have laptops, thin monitors, and faster processors now, but back then, our computers were massive — seemed like 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep. The monitors looked like the head of E.T.,” she joked. “It was all very basic. Now, we have colors, graphics, and fonts that make everything look polished.”

Despite the visual transformation of technology, some things remain the same. “I started as a COBOL (Common Business-Orientated Language) developer, and I still do COBOL here at Grinnell Mutual,” Lanser said. Her work involves a mix of old and new technology, which she finds both challenging and rewarding. “The logic behind coding remains the same. It's the thought process — getting from point A to point B — that hasn’t changed. It's just the languages that have evolved.”

Family, golf, and the grandkids

Outside of work, Lanser loves to golf. “I’m not a serious golfer, but I enjoy it. I like being outside”.” She’s also in a bowling league and enjoys spending time with friends and family. “We go boating, sit around the fire on summer nights — just relax.”

Lanser has three children, all grown and living in different parts of the country. “Her oldest daughter lives in Arizona, her middle son is in Polk City, Iowa, and her youngest son is in Pleasant Hill, Iowa.” And now, she's also a grandmother. “The grandkids are young, but soon enough, they’ll be involved in activities, and I'll be there — driving to soccer games, just like I did for my kids.”

Life at Grinnell Mutual

“Working at Grinnell has changed a lot, especially since we started working from home,” Lanser reflected. “When I started, I was part of a team of three or four developers, always working on projects together. Now, I mostly work solo, interacting more with Talent Development and Payroll than with IT.” Lanser also supports the Employee Central application. Despite the changes, Lanser enjoys her role. “I like the people I work with, both in IT and in the other departments. We get things done and most importantly,” she joked, “we make sure everyone gets paid.”