Hello world!

 

One of the first snippets of code you learn to program is often some variation on printing hello world on-screen. My first programming language was self-taught and was using Integer and Applesoft BASIC. I was around nine years old, and finally mastered the creation of a very simple ping-pong style game. Not anywhere as “feature-rich” as Brick Out, but as a kid… it was as if I scaled Mt. Everest.

I moved on to dabbling in LOGO, PASCAL, FORTRAN, C and C++ over the years, but master of none. I had some aptitude, but lacked the passion of writing 1000’s of lines of code. However, I knew that I wanted to “work in computers” when I was a kid, so when it finally came time to pursue a career, I jumped at the chance to do software testing. I loved playing detective and “breaking things.” (There really is a lot more to it than that!)

Fast-forward to the present, where I managed to land knee-deep in a marketing department. Database or email marketing is not about ad impressions, reach, or unaided awareness. It’s a marriage of technology and creativity, leveraging data in order to provide customer’s something compelling, relevant, and most importantly– a permission-based dialog. This is not spam… the virtual equivalent of knocking on your door at 2am and asking for $10. No, I’m talking about an established relationship, based on trust, between consumer and company. One where the customer is in control.

So, what’s the point?

Somewhere along the way, I’ve had the privilege of working at companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Xbox, and Expedia. I’ve met some pretty cool people along the way, and worked on a diverse set of projects, playing the role of a liaison between the business needs and the technical or operational execution of that vision.

This blog is nothing more than observations from a girl who spends her days immersed in the things she loves- tech, people, games,  books, scooters, and life.