Women in Tech at DocuSign: Casey H.
Our “Women in Tech” blog series places the spotlight on female employees in tech jobs who tell us about why they decided to start a career in software engineering, what they do at DocuSign, who their role models are and more. At DocuSign, we believe in the next generation of female leaders in technology and want to help them get on the right career trajectory. This week we sat down with Casey in Product Engineering based in Seattle to learn more about her career.
What is your current role at DocuSign and what do you actually do day-to-day in that role?
I work with engineering, operations, customer support, product and sales teams to ensure release activities are executed as planned and code is shipped through environments following our established procedures. My night-to-night role is checking progress and resolving any customer or system escalations promptly.
What did your kids or friends and family think you do?
As soon as I start talking about work my family’s minds begin to wander. If pressed, they likely think I organize DocuSign’s releases in the same way I organize their lives. My friends think I work really odd hours and wonder if I am a CIA operative.
When did you choose to work in technology and why?
Growing up in this region and being a business graduate from the University of Washington (GO Dawgs!), I feel that technology chose me. The opportunities in this region have been fantastic and I’m happy that my early career encompassed working in both customer support and QA. This gave me a strong technical and non-technical foundation, both of which are necessary for my current role. It’s funny: you don’t necessarily get to choose what opportunities present themselves to you, but you absolutely control taking advantage of them. I am definitely thankful for the opportunities I have gotten here at DocuSign and have relished the pursuit of them.
What excites you most about working at DocuSign and why?
It’s corny, but true: the people are AMAZING! Engineering is a fast-paced, dynamic and chaotic environment where no two days are the same. You have to be willing to continuously use critical thinking skills to mitigate and problem-solve simultaneous issues. There are always issues to be addressed and decisions to be made where people I respect depend upon me. Combine this with the knowledge that we offer a robust product offering to our customers, I find coming into work each day is not challenging, in fact leaving at the end of the day can be.
As a woman in tech, do you have any role models in technology that you look up to? Who are they and why do you look up to them?
I’ve been lucky to have many great role models throughout my career, both men and women. My current ‘spirit animal’ is Elena Cuneo, who is an exceptional engineering leader in our San Francisco office. She has a practical, no-nonsense approach to building and running software, and she’s tenacious and wicked smart when it comes to identifying and resolving some of the nastiest bugs in our system. When you work with her, she automatically makes you better.
What advice would you give women who might be considering a career in technology?
Best advice I was given is ‘don’t spit in the well, you may have to drink out of it’. In other words, avoid burning bridges because Tech is a small community. Instead, double down on the relationships you build because sometimes the least likely person can be instrumental in finding you your next job. Trust me, I speak from experience. Also, trust in your knowledge and skills, and always learn and be curious. Know that fighting for what is right for our customers, yourself and DocuSign takes gumption and hard work. It’s not always easy, but I know I take more satisfaction in completing more difficult tasks than the easy ones.
Interested in pursuing a career in technology and working at DocuSign? Check out our job openings. Coming to Grace Hopper in Houston on September 25-28? Visit our booth at #6548 and sign up for an interview! We’d love to talk.