Edmunds Company Growth, Stability & Outlook

When did you originally join Edmunds, and what was your role?

I joined Edmunds for the first time back in 2013 as an analyst. I was new to analytics and learned SQL, Tableau and web metrics on the job. Everyone was super friendly, and I learned so much. But after about a year and a half, I got an interesting opportunity to do analysis for an education nonprofit and decided to go for it.
 

What motivated you to reapply to Edmunds? 

Ultimately, I ended up missing the pace and scale of web analytics and made my way back to tech. In 2017, I was looking for a new job, and Edmunds was hiring. A lot of my teammates were still there, I really respected and enjoyed working with the hiring manager. The internal business/product owners are some of the best I've ever worked with. The people here make work not feel like work.

When did you realize you had made the right choice to return?

It was during my first presentation at an executive team meeting. I was really nervous, and the presentation didn't go as planned. It turned into a conversation among senior leadership about the business assumptions underlying my analysis. Afterward, my manager told me that Edmund’s president reached out to her because he wanted to make sure I knew that I did a good job and that he appreciated my work even though the conversation shifted directions. I was so touched that he went out of his way to say that, and I think it really highlights how kindness permeates our culture, even from the very top.

My career journey thus far: 

I grew up in San Francisco where technology brews hot. I jumped on the bandwagon and pursued a degree in computer science. Out of college, I dabbled in web development independently but soon sought more tech stack exposure, so I pursued an opportunity at CBS Interactive. While there, I participated in and won my first internal hackathon, and I loved the experience of developing a full solution and pitching it in just a few days. I learned about organizational change and gained a broader perspective on technology systems. 

I then applied for a Java role at Edmunds and secured the opportunity to join the team in Los Angeles. At Edmunds, I’ve spent half of my time as an independent contributor, mostly backend, but have also embraced the edges of the stack when needed. For the last five years, I’ve been working on the SEO team, originally as the technical lead and most recently as the team’s director. As director, I’m responsible for the organic traffic architecture of the company.

How I discovered my passion for technology: 

The internet and word processing changed my life. Those tools made me feel like I had superpowers, and I wanted to be a part of their influence. 

Also, my mom is a COBOL programmer, and I was exposed to computers and technology from a young age. Although mainframes weren’t my thing, I was fortunate to gain access to the first PCs and Macs on the market. I started tinkering with hardware first, swapping drives, upgrading RAM, and I found that work impactful and fun. Friends and parents needed help with their upgrades, and I would lend a hand. 

At the same time, I was being exposed to the possibilities of software, like Hypercard, which still influences my thoughts about human-computer interfaces. In college, I started developing my love-hate relationship with object-oriented programming until it finally clicked. The challenge alone was enough for me to know that there would always be more evolution and that we were at the beginning of monumental change. This inspiration continues to spur my interest in new technologies like blockchain and what their underlying impact will be on our culture and society.

My advice for women considering a career in tech:

Embrace curiosity. Navigating a predominantly male-dominated field can occasionally feel like an uphill battle, but let curiosity be your guiding star. Curiosity provides a novel lens when there is uncertainty. It will lead you, safeguard you and provide you extra resources to persevere in those challenging moments and ultimately foster growth opportunities. In moments when you are questioning your path, be curious.