Give Thanks - Day 5

Gratitude

Years ago if you had asked me what I would be doing, depending on the day, the answer would have involved airplanes or accounting; programming was something that special people did, that was definitely not me. Then my boss offered to pay me more if I learned to program. Thanks, Min.

After building Wordpress marketing sites for a few year I wanted to do something a bit more meaty and started interviewing for a new job. Unfortunately, years of building wordpress themes does not make a strong resume. Thankfully, despite that I got the option I really wanted. Thanks, Jeff, for having faith in me and giving me a chance.

Joining my first real job I had a unhealthy dose of imposter syndrome and was absolutely convinced that I would be found out and fired. Thankfully I had a great mentor who never judged me for stupid questions and with a healthy dose of snark helped me become a better engineer. Thanks, Zack, I learned so much from you and knowing you had my back gave me confidence.

Learning the practice of SAAS software at a hypergrowth startup is never easy. Years of the same problems kicking me in the teeth started to make me doubt myself. Thanks, John, the confidence you showed in me during those early Employee Experience days meant a lot.

Joining the fledgling data platform team pre launch was probably the most pivotal moment of my career. Despite the countless long hours I learned so much from the experience. Thanks, Ryan, you supported me before you were even my boss, then actively recruited me giving me one of the biggest opportunities of my career.

The last couple of years at Qualtrics were a roller coaster for me. Years of operating without enough hands to do the work, a tendency to jump in whenever something broke, and a stint in a role that wasn’t right for me resulted in some severe burnout. Thanks, Scott, you always had my back and were always there to encourage and support me.

β€œThe strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”

― Phil Jackson
LeadersProgrammingSoftwareWordpressMentorQualtrics