1. What were you doing before you became a Software Engineer?
I had many different jobs before joining Ada. When I first graduated, I worked as a financial consultant, where I worked in a reporting capacity so fortunately I learned to write SQL. Unfortunately, after the large project I was working on ended, I was out of a job. Afterwards, I worked as a show runner for shows like the Voice and taking different production jobs to make ends meet. My last job prior to beginning Ada was at Macys.com, where I began immersing myself in python and speaking with developers about their career any chance I got. I think my long journey to software engineer was basically the stars aligning for me!
2. Where are you currently working and what do you do?
I work at Expedia on the checkout team, part of my job requires dreaming of adventures! The team I work on is perfect for my interests. Expedia lets us get involved in both the technology and the business side of the Company. Luckily, I get to work on features that drive me and I’m passionate about connecting to a customer and forging a relationship. I like to think of coding as a creative experience where Expedia is the digital world we create. There is a lot that goes into the product which makes my day-to-day awesome because there are opportunities and challenges abound. Also, given the sheer size of Expedia, it is empowering to know that we are apart of so many people’s adventures.
3. What’s your favorite part of your job?
Here are my top three —
First – solving problems that haven’t been solved previously through code!
I work with incredibly smart and driven individuals who encourage each other to find new ways to enhance and improve our product. When we are solving new problems, the day just flies by as we get immersed in our work thinking and trying to implement new ideas.
Second – Another thing I like about my job is pair programming. For me, it is the best way to learn. Sometimes we use different technology stacks so pairing allows an easy introduction/exposure into new features I don’t usually work with. The people I’ve worked with in the past do a great job of explaining and communicating how the code flows or what edge cases need to be considered.
Third – I love my team! I’ve grown in a lot of ways and I like to attribute that growth to being surrounded by amazing people. I like to take their strengths and channel their advice when I’m in tough situations.
4. Describe a typical day in your role.
A typical day includes being human, I grab coffee, neglect to hydrate, and work on my stories.
It’s hard to do a ‘typical day’ question at Expedia as it seems no two days are the same. Shockingly, we don’t always get to sit at our desk and code. Programming and creating products takes a lot of time, communication with multiple teams and consideration of “business logic” which is far more than simply picking an issue and hacking away! So if we are working on a new feature, there’s a lot of meetings (both technical and non-technical) to get everyone organized and on the same page. Therefore, my job requires I communicate a lot in both english and code.