Keep Your Head Up, And Keep On Learning A Time Inc. Developers Advice To New Women In Tech

Keep Your Head Up, And Keep On Learning A Time Inc. Developers Advice To New Women In Tech Mobile Developer Claire Young has spent the past six months working for Time Inc. from the companys Seattle office. Shes been in the tech field since high school, when zu sich interest in computers led her to declare an undergraduate major in computer science, and shes never looked back.PowerToFly spoke with this mom of two about her flexible work schedule and her favorite partes of her Time Inc. teams culture. Claires advice to women interested in tech Keep your head up, and keep on learning.Please introduce yourself to the PowerToFly community.My name is Claire, I work at Time Inc. in the Seattle office. I am the main iOS developer in a hybrid app development team here at Time Inc. I am originally from Seattle my family all lives in the Seattle area. I welches away for about nine years in the midwest, and then took a couple years off to have kids, and now Time Inc. is my first full-time job b ack in Seattle. Image via Claire YoungHow did you get started in tech?I originally got started in tech such a long time ago. When I was in high school I liked using computers, and I thought going into tech had a lot of potential. I thought it would be fun to write the types of programs, like chat and AOL, that I used at the time.So I went into undergrad and decided to major in computer science without much more research??which is what I think a lot of people do in any field when theyre that young. But I never looked back, its a great field to be in. We could definitely use more women though.Have you been working on any projects lately at Time Inc. that youre particularly excited about?One of the most fun parts of my job is that I work on high profile app products that I release on a very frequent basis. Within my first month and a half at Time Inc., we released an app for Sports Illustrated??which is great in terms of a software development timeline. Im really proud of the product t hat we came out with. We released that Sports Illustrated app on iOS and Android, and then a few weeks ago we just also released the Travel + Leisure Travel Guide app. So within my first six months of working at Time Inc., Ive worked on two very high profile apps. And often times, I personally have been the one to deploy to the app store or submit for review. Ive been coding as well, but I definitely feel great ownership of the product because often times I was the one to push the button to say, Push this to the app store. Publish this. Screenshots of the travel+leisure travel guide app Claire worked onTell us a bit about the work culture at Time Inc. Whats your favorite thing about working there?I work with a great team of really smart people from very diverse backgrounds, and we have great team culture. Its really fun to go into work, into the office, just because of all the cool people there. And its great to collaborate. I think remote work is great sometimes, but its also great to just collaborate with people as well.Of course there are also a lot of material perks??office happy hours, a fridge well stocked with snacks??but you get the same perks with a lot of other tech companies. I think what really stands out at Time Inc. is the team culture.Does your position give you a lot of flexibility with your schedule?I generally work about one day per week from home, which helps a lot. As a mother, there are situations that come up??a kid is sick, or maybe theres no day care??life comes up, and I just need to work from home. I really enjoy working, but I think it can be difficult for working moms to adhere to a strict 95 onsite schedule. For me, I dont think it would be doable. Its great that Time Inc. is flexible about working arrangements as long as I get my work done.You mentioned that you work remotely part of the time. How do you balance these two different work environments while maintaining team cohesion?Right now, everyone on the team pretty much works on their own schedule. There are a few things you dont miss, like important meetings throughout the day, but as long as you keep connected and get your work done its very flexible. I find that the key to working remotely is to stay connected through chat, video conferencing, and screen share. That way you dont end up sending 20 emails back and forth before you figure out whats going on.For my team, were always kind of working remotely because Time Inc.s main office is in New York??a three-hour time difference. Even when were onsite in Seattle, we do a lot of communicating with the New York team. So its really important to keep communication lines open with the main office and with each other.What advice do you have for other women interested in working in tech?I think the tech field is a great field for women to be in. The first misconception that women tend to have is that programming means working by yourself in an isolated environment and not talking to other people. Thats a fals e assumption, because programmers often have to work on large software products with a large team of people that all need to get along. So I think the reality of software development is actually better than a lot of the preconceptions that women have before they go into the field.But as it is now, its hard for women to find mentors in the field. A lot of women my age have dropped out of the field and are not coming back. That means that 10, 20 years down the road, the women who would be mentors??senior developers mentoring new, young junior developers??are simply not there any more. I think we need to put more effort into recruiting women into tech so that the next generation can feel more of an even male-to-female ratio in the workforce.I would also just say, dont be discouraged. When I first started out taking computer science classes in undergrad, I always felt like I was less smart than some of my male counterparts who were very confident. But confidence is not always equivalent to being right. So dont get discouraged, keep your head up, and keep on learning.Looking for a job as rewarding as Claires? Check out the following positions at Time, Inc. Seattle and Brooklyn officesTime, Inc. Brooklyn, NYSoftware Engineer (SDE I)??Time Inc. Engineering, VideoSenior Software Engineer (SDE II)??Time Inc. Engineering, VideoTech Lead - SDE III??Time Inc. Engineering, VideoMobile Engineer (SDE II)??Time Inc. Engineering, VideoSenior Software Engineer, Ad DistributionSenior Technical Program ManagerTime, Inc.Seattle, WASoftware Development Engineer II ?Time Inc. Data EngineeringSenior UX DesignerSoftware Development Engineer IITechnical Program ManagerAll Time, Inc. jobs

Graduating Female Engineer Looks to a Future in the Racecar Field

Graduating Female Engineer Looks to a Future in the Racecar Field Graduating Female Engineer Looks to a Future in the Racecar Field Graduating Female Engineer Looks to a Future in the Racecar Fieldby John Varrasi, ASME Public InformationOver the last four years while earning a degree in mechanical engineering at Cooper Union in New York City, 21-year-old Amy Chambers has nurtured a passion for fast cars and high-performing engines.As a freshman, Ms. Chambers joined the universitys Formula SAE team, calibrating engines that would enable the schools modified racecar to compete in an annual autocross-style road race against as many as 120 otherbeibei student teams from around the world. Amy remained on the Formula SAE team in her ensuing years at Cooper Union, becoming the driver in her sophomore year and captain this year all along hoping that, following college graduation, she would be able to land the type of job to align with her engineering skills and interests.She did. This July, Amy will start a job as design and validation engineer at General Motors in Detroit, Mich., working primarily in the area of powertrains. Whats more, GM has outlined a path that will enable the young engineer to apply for a position in GM Racing, which equips NASCAR racecars.I am very excited about the opportunity with GM, said Amy. My short-term career objective is to work with automotive powertrains and my longer-term aspirations involve racecars, so I believe I am on a good pathway.The Job SearchAmy Chambers seamless transition from student life to a rewarding job position in the working world is a case study in career planning and preparation, and proof that good outcomes come to those who steadfastly pursue their hopes and dreams. For Amy, an engineering career seemed a destiny from a young age. Growing up along with two triplet sisters in Northport on New York Citys Long Island, Amy displayed a knack for building and fixing things around the house, like televisions and remote controllers. I would always be interested in how things work, said Amy. I would dismantle and reassemble anything I found interesting.She attended Northport High School, scoring high grades in math and science and blending curriculum requirements with courses in woodworking and computer-aided design. Entering Cooper Union, Amy enrolled in the electrical engineering program, which she found somewhat unfulfilling. I was more interested in the engineering side of cars, particularly automobile engines, said Amy. So I gravitated toward mechanical engineering at Cooper Union to obtain the abilities and training to pursue these interests.Amy developed a strong aptitude in thermodynamics, fluids engineering, and heat transfer, excelling in all her coursework. On the Formula SAE team, she leads all aspects of engine calibration and servicing and is involved on every subsystem of the powertrain, from intake to exhaust. Using a dynamometer and other engineering tools, Amy and her powertrain t eam measure and test every engine parameter to gain optimum engine torque in varying racing conditions. The Cooper Union car has not yet won the annual competition however the car finished a respectable 54th place in 2015. We have high expectations for a strong outcome this year, said Amy.Sharpening her focus on a professional career in automotive engine calibration, Ms. Chambers last summer interned at Honda RD Americas, Inc., in Ohio. During her senior year at Cooper Union, Amy cranked up her job search, interviewing at several automotive firms in the Michigan area. Throughout her search, Amy used her contacts at ASME, Cooper Union, and the Formula SAE network to identify career opportunities and job openings, as well as hiring managers. According to Amy, the initial interviews were carried out on the telephone and the subsequent face-to-face meetings were arranged at company expense.Fast TrackIn her initial engineering position at General Motors, Amy expects to test the powertrai ns for some of the auto companys Chevrolet and Buick models to be available in 2017 and 2018. GM plans to keep Amy in that job for 6-8 months, after which the young engineer will transition to vehicle-level calibration work at a corporate division in Milford, Mich. Following a stint there, Amy will have the opportunity to apply at GM Racing.Amy believes she will be able to cope with the challenges of adapting to changing job responsibilities in different parts of the company.I will employ a problem-solving mindset, she said. I along with many other engineers are trained to analyze a situation, then use technical experience to arrive at a pragmatic approach to a solution, and finally implement measures and countermeasures to solve the problem.