What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Sr Developer Advocate at GitGuardian?

We connected with Dwayne McDaniel to find out!

Interested in learning more about GitGuardian and their job openings?  Make sure to check out their company page on VentureFizz!

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

I grew up in Northwest Ohio, in a little town near Toledo. My dad was a health and safety inspector and also a preacher. My mom worked and retired as a school cafeteria manager.

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

I went to school for Computer Science at BGSU, Bowling Green State University, home of the Falcons, and 88.1FM WBGU, where I was a DJ for a few years.  

I worked in a plastic injection molding company during and after college and delivered pizza, too. My first office job was as a Mortgage Quality Assurance Officer at a regional bank. 

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?

I love learning and solving interesting problems. I always encourage people to find work where they can learn. Given how fast cybersecurity evolves, I was really attracted to this space and GitGuardian as a company.  

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as a Senior Developer Advocate at GitGuardian?

I see my mission as consisting of five words: "Help people figure stuff out." 

I love helping people get to that 'ah-ha' moment of understanding a problem or a technology. I also like being a conduit for feedback into and out from the company.  

This takes the form of traveling to give talks at conferences of all shapes and sizes, writing blog articles and technical materials, and making videos.  I also work with a number of our customers to get their teams up to speed on various issues and solutions. 

Any tips for someone considering a career in your field?

If you crave a regular daily schedule and are not a fan of travel and conferences, stay away from DevRel (Developer Relations). But on the other hand, if you love problem-solving, talking to people to understand how to help them, and the challenge that no two days really look alike, then DevRel might be a good fit. 

The best advice I have is to network, network, network! You never know where connections will lead you. 

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Coffee. If I am home, I make a French press every morning. Good coffee does not need anything else. If I am on the road, any coffee is drinkable with enough sugar. 

What time do you start working?

I am up and online by 7:30 am in whatever time zone I happen to be in.

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

1. Knowing I am helping people better understand security and tech.
2. The joy of making things. I love the creative process, though it can be frustrating at times. 
3. The fact I get to travel as much as I do. I love seeing the world and all parts of the US.

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

There are really two kinds of days for me:

First is when I am not traveling. Those days start by catching up on Slack and email. I live in Chicago, and the company is headquartered in Paris, so a lot goes on before I wake up.  Mornings are normally hectic, and each day brings something new to tackle. In the afternoon, after the Paris office slows down, I tend to focus on content creation and planning for my trips. 

The second kind of day is life on the road. I am actually writing this on a bus getting from an airport to my hotel for a conference in Pasadena, CA. The things I need to address from the Paris team and ongoing conversations continue but are responded to as I can.  At events I both attend and give talks, have hallway conversations about the latest tech trends and news, and socialize as much as I can in the evenings. I actually love the manic energy of the road. I was just saying to someone the other day that I tend to get some of my best writing done at airports. 

What time do you typically wrap up the work day? 

If I am home, typically around 5 or 6, depending on the day. While that sounds like a very long day, I have adopted a long lunch to run errands as I work from home. If I am on the road, whenever the networking ends and I am back in my hotel. That varies wildly.  

Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?  

During a work week, I am always online (thanks to Android and Verizon), and sometimes you do need to reply to an email in the evenings. Weekends and days I take off are mine though, and I turn alerts off. 

Any productivity hacks?

Get started on that project right now.  The longer you wait, the more weight it carries and just getting it done frees you up to work on something else, maybe more fun. 

I personally live an “Inbox Zero” life, which means accepting context switching throughout my day, but I rarely ever have a pile of emails to deal with at once as a result. 

What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?

• Slack
• The United Airlines app
• Lyft

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

I was able to speak in front of a crowd of 750 people at an event in Paris in 2017. I once got to meet Richard Stallman while I was speaking at MIT. He sold me a stuffed gnu, which I still display proudly in my home office. 

Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?

 I have met so many inspiring people over the years I fear singling any of them out cause I would leave out so many.  I do have one former coworker who did the same job as me who I still have a 1 on 1 call with every couple of weeks.  He is my sounding board and a rational voice no matter what is going on. Thanks David! 

There are also the folks in the Burbsec community in Chicago. It is a super supportive community that is always happy to share ideas and give feedback.

Biggest guilty pleasure song and/or artist?

Party in the U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus is one of the best songs ever written. 

Most used Emoji:

 :) 

What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Development Manager at SmartBear?

We connected with Krzysztof Moscichowski to find out!

Interested in learning more about SmartBear and their job openings?  Make sure to check out their company page on VentureFizz!

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?   

I was born and raised in Opole, Poland. My parents rarely changed work – same place for 15-20+ years. My mother used to work in the State Forests, and my father at the new power plant as a shift manager. 

With family at “Targi Rzeczy Ładnych” - “Fair of nice things – Polish design” 

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school? 

I graduated from two universities. The engineering studies at the Opole University of Technology in the field of Computer Science. During my studies, I took up various additional jobs: I was an interviewer, a cinema usher, and an office worker at TP S.A. In my youth, I had much more energy - I left home at 8 a.m., went to the university, then went to work and returned home by the last bus at 10 p.m. I believe that working, even part-time, while studying is a good start to looking for a permanent job. Getting to know different environments and different types of work broadens your horizons. The topic of my engineering thesis was "CMS in PHP", and that helped me find my first job in the Opcom interactive agency. There I was responsible for developing the company's CMS. I graduated from the second university, the Jagiellonian University – with a master's degree, while working full-time. 

Vacation at Nort Sea - Denmark 

Can you tell us about your career journey at SmartBear? What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now? 

I was hired at SmartBear as a Senior Software Engineer over three years ago. Previously, I worked as a developer and team leader in various projects and companies for 15+ years. The entire BitBar project at SmartBear was initially run independently by director Tomasz Stelmach who was hired a month before me. I have always tried to actively participate in teamwork and meetings. This allows me to influence possible improvements at work. Tomasz once asked me during a 1:1 if I wanted to develop further as a manager. At first, I was a little hesitant to make the decision, but eventually I concluded that this was an opportunity I had to take. Then, more and more often, I  conducted demos and facilitated planning meetings. In this case, the process of becoming a development manager was gradual and painless. I took up my new position fully one and a half years ago, and I have never regretted this decision. Sure, the work of a manager is very different from that of a developer. However, my previous experience allows me to understand the needs of the developers I work with. I believe that working in this position leads to personal and professional growth.

Any tips for someone considering a career in your field? 

Take up challenges and give your best when the opportunity arises. Be active and show that you care. 

 Day in the Life 

Coffee, tea, or nothing? 

Why not both? Tea for breakfast and coffee for second breakfast. 

 What time do you start working?  

I usually start work around 8 – 8:30, after taking the children to school.

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you? 

Meetings, emails, slack, meetings. Did I mention meetings?

 What time do you typically wrap up the workday?  

I start work relatively early and finish early, around 4-4:30 p.m. Sometimes there is a late meeting, though. 

Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?  

I try to separate work from my private life. I try to keep my afternoons and evenings for my family, rest, and hobbies. 

Any productivity hacks? 

If something takes five minutes, do it right away. 

What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without? 

Spotify, Google Maps, Nebo 

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of? 

Taking on challenges and being open to opportunities. 

Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice? 

People I work with every day, from whom I can still learn a lot about how to effectively lead people and projects. 

Biggest guilty pleasure song and/or artist? 

I don't follow any top artists or singers, but my Spotify playlist has 1,000+ songs and 70+ hours of electronic music. My biggest guilty pleasure is for sure playing games from the early 90s again and again. 

 What do you enjoy doing in your free time? 

I’m a big LEGO fan – I have more sets that shelves I could put it on. For over three years I tend to a fresh water aquarium full of plants. Because my wife is also a gamer we tend to spend evenings together playing rather than watching movies.

Most used Emoji:  

What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Product Manager at Nayya?

We connected with Brendan Sheehan to find out!

Interested in learning more about Nayya and their job openings?  Make sure to check out their company page on VentureFizz!

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

Holbrook, Massachusetts, about 40 minutes south of Boston. My mom was a teacher and my dad was a small business owner in the neighboring town. Since they had me when they were only 18, they taught me early and often how to overcome the surprises life can throw at you.

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

I went to Quinnipiac University, majoring in Economics and minoring in Sports Studies. I wanted to work in the front office of a sports team, but ended up finding myself at a health insurance company doing financial data analysis on health insurance contracts with hospital systems. From there I went on to an insurance brokerage, helping employer clients build and maintain employee benefit plans. 

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?

Having deep industry knowledge in the market Nayya plays in has been crucial. While I never saw myself being a subject matter expert in insurance, my previous roles made that a requirement, and at a fast growing tech company that plays in the employee benefits world, that became a key skill to help in Nayya’s growth.

Also, being curious and never afraid to ask a question or have a suggestion. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by a team that encourages creativity and feedback, and being vocal when I have had ideas has helped me grow.

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as a Product Manager at Nayya?

Defining the product roadmap and vision for my squad is first and foremost. My squad focuses on the recommendation engine, more specifically how and why we make benefits recommendations to our users. Making sure the product we are building aligns with our company values, which centers around the end user, is vital to the decision making process. There is also a good deal of time spent doing market research, understanding our competitors, what they do differently or the same as us, and understanding how we can learn and improve.  

Any tips for someone considering a career in your field?

Be curious! Especially in today’s age, there is endless amounts of information to consume to help you learn more about just about anything. I actually didn’t consider a role in product until I learned more about the role while working at Nayya, so my curiosity helped move me in the right direction.

I also love providing feedback and receiving feedback - and most PM’s I know do (or should!). If you are considering a role in product and have access to a PM in your current role, providing product suggestions is a good way to better understand what goes into the decision making process and what will or will not be put on a roadmap. 

If you are entering the field or the job market for the first time, try to know all aspects of the product /company you are interested in working for. Figure out what problems they are solving, the value they are providing, and how you would add value. Every product has room to improve, so coming to the table with suggestions and showing you understand how and why your idea will make an impact is key.

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Coffee on days I need it, water when I don’t!

What time do you start working? 

8am, I try not to schedule any meetings before 9am.

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

Being able to improve our users' understanding of benefits which can have positive health and financial implications, seeing the team's ideas and hard work make it into production, and seeing our user count grow!

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

I wake up around 7am and catch up on any emails, scan the news and get ready for the day. Around 8:30 I’ll start responding to Slacks, and then have anywhere between 4-8 meetings until roughly 5pm. I actually prefer to work later in the day rather than earlier, so oftentimes I will do some brainstorming / roadmap planning work later in the day when meetings aren’t popping up.

What time do you typically wrap up the work day? 

I’ll leave the office around 6pm when I am in.

Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?

I log back in, but try to be completely shut down around 9pm.  

Any productivity hacks?

Scheduling heads down time (and being firm with it)!

What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?

Slack, Jira, ChatGPT (use it the right way!)

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

Seeing the team’s first story get shipped into production

Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?

Behavioral economists Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky 

Nayya’s COO Sara Wajnberg 

Biggest guilty pleasure song and/or artist?

Ironic by Alanis Morissette

Most used Emoji

 😂

What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Senior Enterprise Account Manager at Recorded Future?

We connected with Meg Lambros to find out!

Interested in learning more about Recorded Future and their job openings?  Make sure to check out their company page on VentureFizz!

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

The Jersey Shore! I grew up in a town called Bayville, NJ and spent my summers going to the beach in Seaside just about every day (yes, that is where they filmed the show “The Jersey Shore”). My dad spent his entire career in the printing industry, working his way up the ladder and always working the overnight shift because it paid much better than days. My mom chose to stay home and raise my sister and me. When I was 8, my parents split, and at that point, my mom got a job as a bus driver at our school so she could be on the same schedule as us. Each of their career paths taught me hard work and sacrifice in order to create a better life outside of work.

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

I studied marketing at Bentley University with a minor in law. Since the age of 8 when I watched the movie “Jerry Maguire”, I had a dream to become a sports agent, hence the decision to minor in law. I changed my mind when I found out I’d have to go back to school after getting my bachelors. My first job out of college was door-to-door sales for a company that sells phones, internet, and TV. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but it was the best thing that could’ve happened for my career.

What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Senior Cloud Engineer at Vestmark?

We connected with Carter Sheehan to find out!

Interested in learning more about Vestmark and their job openings?  Make sure to check out their company page on VentureFizz!

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

I was born in South Boston, MA where I lived until I was 12 years old. We later moved north to Salem, MA where I still live today with my girlfriend. I grew up an only child, though I had some cousins that were around all the time, they were basically my siblings.

My parents, who are also MA natives, work in different industries than I do. They are the hardest working people I know. My mother currently works in the service industry providing day-to-day care for adults and elderly people, which she has done for the last 3-5 years. Prior to this, my mother worked 15+ years as a cashier for several convenient stores. My father is a shop foreman for a countertop outlet, which he has done for 10+ years; Prior to this, my father worked several jobs including a salesman and a pizza maker.

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

My career actually began in High School, since I attended North Shore Technical High School in Middleton, MA, a school that combined academics with technical studies. I originally enrolled with the intention of going into Culinary Arts but quickly switched to the technology field after taking part in the exploratory program. Over 3 years in the program, I was able to learn a TON from the instructors. It was in this program that I studied and achieved the CompTIA A+ and Network+ certifications before graduating. I got my first job while in High School working as a Customer Service Agent for Best Buy and was quickly moved to Geek Squad where I worked my way up to a Repair Agent, fixing people’s computers daily. On the side, I was a Web Master for my High School's website.

After High School, I enrolled at Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT) in Boston, MA as a  Computer Networking Major (Computer Science Minor). . I continued to work at Geek Squad to pay out-of-pocket expenses during college. At WIT, there are mandatory co-op semesters and it was at this point I found an opportunity with Vestmark as a Systems Engineer Co-Op. This new role lit a fire under me. It was a tremendous opportunity to learn and apply what I had learned in school to real-world problems. I could not have been happier and completed both of my co-op semesters at Vestmark. While finishing school, I stayed on part-time to continue my career growth and  graduated in August 2018.

Apparently, I had left a good impression at the company and was offered a full-time position before I had graduated. I accepted and haven't looked back since.

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?

I attribute my success to the work-ethic that was ingrained in me by my parents; being tenacious about everything, big or small. Look at every day as an opportunity to learn and do good things. Remain hungry; seek new opportunity and take on challenging things.

I took every piece of advice someone gave me to heart and acted on it. I was able to grow very quickly, moving from Associate Systems Engineer to Systems Engineer to Cloud Engineer and now Senior Cloud Engineer in a matter of a few years.

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as a Sr. Customer Engineer at Vestmark?

My current responsibilities are focused, but my reach is wide because I have had to wear a lot of hats over the years that I am still occasionally relied on for by other teams. Some of my responsibilities are:

1. AWS Architecture design
2. Automation (IAC – Terraform, Jenkins, Bash/PowerShell)
3. Release management (for IAC)
4. Supporting deployments

Any tips for someone considering a career in your field?

A lot of people will say you need to go to college and your first job should be on an IT help desk; I disagree. There are so many great instructors with courses available online, both free and paid. Having gone through a traditional school system to start my career, I can confidently say that what I learned can easily be found on Youtube for free and again there are many MUCH less expensive self-paced courses online through Pluralsight, AcloudGuru, LinkedIn, Udemy, etc. that are in many cases better than the courses at a college or university.

Definitely gain a solid understanding of Computer Networking; The network is the foundation of everything.

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Water or tea, no coffee, occasionally juice or soda

What time do you start working?

Usually at 9 AM, sometimes before

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

• My parents will forever be the only motivation I need, they are such hard-working people​
• The opportunity to learn something new every day
• The opportunity to do what I love

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

A typical day for me looks like this: Wake up, prepare for my day, get online, meet with people, solve problems. Of course, there is eating and sleeping in there too. :)​

Many days I am meeting with my team and other teams to collaborate on all things Cloud. Often times our meetings are centered around our Cloud infrastructure (AWS), related automation, security, cost, design, migrations, and much more! Since Vestmark recently launched Vast, the last few months has included a lot of collaboration between the Software Engineers and our team to design modern architecture in AWS!

What time do you typically wrap up the work day?

I try to end my day as close to 5/5:30 PM as possible. I value work-life balance greatly for my mental and physical health.

Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?  

I will log back in at night occasionally but only for things that are really interesting to me; Typically, these are things I want to work on and not things I do normally day-to-day. Most days I shut down completely.

When I am offline, I like to watch movies, play video games, and play with my cat!

I was able to take a trip to Estes Park, Colorado with my girlfriend recently and we both had a great time! I was able to completely disconnect from work and I came back fully rested and ready to tackle new challenges. Definitely take time off to unwind, you will come back rested and enjoy your work more!

Any productivity hacks?

Keep notes, don't hold everything in your head. During Covid, I started a bad habit of not taking notes as often as I used to and, as a result, I was using a lot more mental capacity than needed to not forget things. I eventually broke that habit and take notes all the time again.

I listen to music all the time but If you're like me, songs can get stuck in your head. So, listen to white noise or classical music instead of other genres.

What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?

• Desktop Apps: Web Browser, Slack, IDE​
• Phone Apps: News, Weather, Music/Books

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

I have had many accomplishments but I am most proud of my current position as Senior Cloud Engineer. It took several years of studying, learning, and collaboration to reach this point and I am very happy to be here. Thank you to everyone who mentored and supported me through the years!

Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?

I wouldn't say I have a single person I go to for advice, but I have had several mentors over the years who have had a huge impact on my career.

Some noteworthy people include my High School IT Instructors, College professors, Professional Career Managers and Mentors and several peers

We connected with Lindsay Becker, who is the Customer Success Manager at Mirakl, for a Q&A to discuss why she decided to join the team.

Mirakl offers the industry’s first and most advanced enterprise marketplace SaaS platform. Click here to check out the job openings at Mirakl.

What is your current role at Mirakl, and what are your high-level responsibilities?

At Mirakl, I am a Client Success Manager, focusing primarily on business strategy and platform knowledge. I am part of a great team that oversees a diverse portfolio of US-based B2C retail companies. From mid-size businesses to Fortune 500 organizations, each client presents a unique puzzle to solve, and I love working on tailoring strategies to drive their e-commerce growth. With 15 years of experience in the retail industry, I am well-versed in the challenges and opportunities our clients face, allowing me to utilize my industry experience to help retailers succeed.

What led you to join Mirakl? Was there anything that stood out that ultimately impacted your decision to join?

I became familiar with Mirakl through my time at Fossil Group, where I had the opportunity to be a seller on one of their marketplaces. I was excited when Mirakl reached out with an opportunity to join their team, as I was already such a fan of the platform. After working extensively with top marketplaces, wholesalers, and 1P websites, I knew that my next career move would be e-commerce. Mirakl's exceptional reputation for innovation and their collaborative spirit sealed the deal. It also helped that I really liked the people!

What was your background prior to joining Mirakl?

Before joining Mirakl, I worked for two great retailers: J.Crew and Fossil. During my almost ten years at Fossil, I witnessed firsthand the transformative power of marketplaces. This ignited my interest in the evolving retail landscape and how marketplace and dropship can transform a business. Mirakl provided a unique opportunity to combine my love for fashion and retail with the world of technology. Taking my industry experience and helping clients with their digital journey has been incredibly fulfilling. 

Can you share anything about the interviewing and onboarding process at Mirakl?

When I joined the company in 2020, I was onboarded with a warm and supportive welcome from the entire team. They provided me with the necessary resources and guidance to hit the ground running and contribute to our clients' success. I loved that my onboarding experience included members from our global team so that I could connect with colleagues worldwide. I was also very fortunate to start day one with now one of my closest colleagues, who also came from the retail space and is a remote team member. We are now part of a wonderful remote community that has allowed us all to feel included and part of Mirakl even while not “sitting” in our AMER Headquarters in Boston. 

Any interesting first impressions about the company that you can tell us since joining?

People often ask me why I love working here, and it's the collaboration. We are always on Slack, sharing ideas and working together. There is no ego at Mirakl - we all want everyone to succeed. I also love the accessibility to leadership. If you have a great idea, they want to hear it. I feel like my voice is heard, and I am valued. 

Are there any specific projects or initiatives you are excited to work on? 

Within Mirakl, there are numerous exciting projects and initiatives that I am privileged to be a part of. Currently, I am very passionate about working with our media clients. The media world is relatively new to me, and I have enjoyed learning more about it. One of my clients, NBC Universal, even won an award at our recent Mirakl Summit in NYC! Check out their marketplace on the Today Show during the "Jill's Steals and Deals" segment. Truthfully, all of my clients are great, and every day brings new exciting opportunities and challenges. 

What makes working at Mirakl unique compared to other companies you've worked at?

What makes working at Mirakl great is the remarkable people and the collaborative spirit that defines our culture. I am constantly inspired by the brilliant minds around me and the genuine passion they bring to their work. We unite as a community, supporting and uplifting one another to achieve shared success. It's the blend of talent, collaboration, and camaraderie that makes me enjoy my job.

What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for an Intelligence Consultant at Recorded Future?

We connected with Cassidy O'Hearn to find out!

Interested in learning more about Recorded Future and their job openings?  Make sure to check out their company page on VentureFizz!

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

I went to Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. I graduated in the Spring of 2018 with  a major in Computer Science and a minor in Economics. My initial job out of college was with Booz Allen Hamilton as a candidate in their Cyber Immersion pilot program. Within the program we spent about 10 months transitioning between their Security Operations Center (SOC) teams. This gave me exposure and experience with red teaming, digital forensics, customer response, incident handling, vulnerability management, threat hunting, and cyber threat intelligence. After this experience I decided to stay with the cyber threat intelligence team for another two years before accepting a position at Recorded Future. 

What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Data Infrastructure Engineer at Benchling?

We connected with Abhinava Singh to find out!

Interested in learning more about Benchling and their job openings?  Make sure to check out their company page on VentureFizz!

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

I grew up in sunny Phoenix, AZ. My mom was a cosmetologist and ran her own salon studio and my dad was a software engineer for Seibel/Oracle. Though when I was in high school, my father left the world of software engineering to become a restaurateur which he still is today!

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

I went to UC Berkeley where I first studied microbiology but graduated with a major in computer science. I never really intended to get into tech until one of my postdocs in my first lab encouraged me to take an intro to computer science course to do some advanced analysis of high throughput image data. It was here where I fell in love with programming and made the switch to study computer science.

A lot of the research I did during my undergraduate years was related to the intersection of computer vision and health care. But when I looked for my first internship, I ended up joining a fintech startup called Nerdwallet where I was one of the first data scientists there. I extended my internship through my senior year, and I ended up accepting a full time offer staying at Nerdwallet for 3 years where I saw/learned the ins and outs of what it takes to build a data driven organization from the data engineering/data infrastructure to the reporting/ml model serving all the way at the end.

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?

A lot of my experience prior to Benchling was being a customer of different data systems. Now that I am the one building those data systems, that experience has helped me cultivate a lot of empathy for my customers but has also given me the instinct to anticipate where they will be a few years out and build towards that. As a result, our team has ended up with data infrastructure that powers all of our reports and business decisions/processes which has been incredibly rewarding to be a part of!

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as a Data Infrastructure Engineer at Benchling?

At Benchling, data infrastructure serves multiple functions. It’s firstly used to help Benchling customers make sense of their biological data via our warehouse and insights tools. Data Infrastructure is responsible for the data pipelines that move customer data from our various benchling products to multitenant warehouses which store/serve this data to customers via SQL queries that customers write in our insights tool. Data infrastructure also is responsible for the pipelines that move all kinds of data to our internal data warehouse and reporting tools which our employees use to run the business and understand how customers are using Benchling. I initially worked on our internal data infrastructure before eventually moving to working on our customer facing data infrastructure as well.

Any tips for someone considering a career in your field?

I think the world of data infrastructure is fascinating. It’s a really cool intersection of systems, APIs, people, and traditional data work. I think the major indicator of success in data infrastructure is attention to detail and a keen eye for operating good systems. Poorly thought out decisions can become really punishing when you quickly hit high scale data. And while nobody will build the perfect solution initially, being able to spot problems quickly and constantly improve will definitely separate you from the herd in the long run! Read books about being a good SRE, read about non software-related operations/systems, take a systems design class in college, etc. Honestly, I use those ideas every single day on the job.

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Coffee. I love pour overs. It’s super therapeutic and gives me time to think about what I’m going to do that day as I wake up.

What time do you start working? 

9:30am usually to do a bit of goal setting, calendar planning, and slack answering before I really get started at 10.

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

• Watching folks in the org up level their decision making with data.
• Watching others compound capabilities to do things you never imagined.
• Feature requests. It’s a great sign that you’re heading in the right direction.

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

I usually have a standup meeting where I update the team on what I’ve been working on and any problems I am running into. I then try to get a lot of coding done in the morning before lunch. After lunch, I usually have some meetings with stakeholders on upcoming projects, planning, etc. In between, I'll often try to unblock my team via code reviews or get some more coding/doc writing done.

What time do you typically wrap up the work day? 

5-6pm

Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?  

Shut it down completely. Unless I am on-call in which case, I can’t 😆.

Any productivity hacks?

Time boxing is huge. Instead of multiplexing between tasks constantly. Schedule a time in your calendar to work on a thing. If you don’t finish, just schedule time later! Not only does this help me focus, it also lets me be intentional about my maker (flow) time!

What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?

Spotify, Google Maps (my restaurants/bars to visit list is vast), TikTok (it’s unhealthy at this point)

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

Building our internal data infrastructure! Watching it go from nothing to seeing a fleet of data scientists empower our whole company with data was such an incredible thing to see!

Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?

My managers have always been fantastic resources for me to bounce ideas off of while also being directly helpful during any issue that came up! I also have a ton of co-workers who I call on to give me extra sets of eyes for any given problem I am working on!

Biggest guilty pleasure song and/or artist?

Clarity by Zedd

Most used Emoji:

👀(it let’s people know I’m working on their thing)

What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Commercial Account Executive at Recorded Future?

We connected with Meg Johnson to find out!

Interested in learning more about Recorded Future and their job openings?  Make sure to check out their company page on VentureFizz!

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

I grew up in a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ small town on the South Shore of Massachusetts. My parents both worked corporate jobs in the insurance industry.

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

I went to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where I double majored in English and Journalism. I graduated in 2020 right when the pandemic hit and got a job as a full time nanny before coming to Recorded Future. 

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?

Since I started in this field, my curiosity, communication skills, and drive have propelled me to be successful. I consistently ask questions, strive to meet new people, hit metrics, build relationships, etc. There are several ways in which you can succeed in this industry and those three traits are (what I believe) crucial for success. 

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as a Commercial Account Executive at Recorded Future?

My main responsibility as a Commercial Account Executive is to drive and close business in my assigned territory. In my role I target, educate, and build relationships with new customers in order to propel interest in Recorded Future’s products and services.

Any tips for someone considering a career in your field?

Sales is a great field if you are a competitive and goal driven person. In this field you never stop learning so continue to practice, ask questions, research industry trends, and most importantly always be willing to switch things up/ try new techniques. As the industry grows and changes, it’s crucial that you never stay complacent. 

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Hot coffee in the morning, iced coffee in the afternoon, and tea before bed. Caffeine is a necessity in this field!

What time do you start working? 

I typically start my day around 8:00-8:30am.

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

• My team and leadership motivates me daily.
• Knowing that I’m adding value to customers’ security organizations.
• The healthy competitiveness of my team motivates me to hit my quota. 

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

Note: Everyday is filled with several internal meetings so this is just an example of a slow day in my life without any meetings. 

• 8:00-8:30 | Coffee and setting up my day (organizing my calendar, RSVPing to meetings, scheduling breaks/lunch)
• 8:30-9:30 | Prospecting into accounts
• 9:30-10:30 | Hand write emails & schedule them to send out at appropriate times
• 10:30-11:00 | Go through LinkedIn to ping prospects ( I’m always using different avenues to get in touch with people) 
• 11:00-12:00 | Make cold calls 
• 12:00-1:00 | Lunch & daily walk 
• 1:00-2:00 | Research industry trends / listen to Gong calls (recorded meetings) / Craft new messaging
• 2:00-3:00 | Send remaining emails for the day
• 3:00-4:00 | Afternoon prospecting 
• 4:00-5:00 | Make remaining cold calls for the day 
• 5:00-5:30 | Reply to any last emails / Slack messages

What time do you typically wrap up the work day? 

I typically try to wrap up my day between 5:00-5:30pm depending on how busy my day was and how much I still need to get done. 

Any productivity hacks?

• Keep your phone on silent throughout the day 
• Organize your calendar based on color (I do three different colors for internal meetings, personal tasks, and external meetings) 
• Block off your time to complete certain tasks (emails, cold calls, prospecting)

What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?

1. Spotify (when doing prospecting / emails I always listen to a true crime podcast for background noise! My favorite is Morbid) 
2. Google Calendar is how I keep my day organized and consistently use it in my life outside of work to keep track of my days. 
3. I use HeadSpace religiously to meditate or take a second to breathe. When I have a big presentation or conversation I’m anxious about, I use their breathing exercises to ground myself and gain confidence. 

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

The professional accomplishment that I am most proud of is getting the promotion to Commercial Account Executive earlier than I thought I would be eligible for. I worked extremely hard my first year to get to this point and if I hadn’t pushed myself, I might not be here this early on in my career. 

Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?

My mother is someone who I admire and consistently ask for professional advice from. She is the smartest woman I know and is often brutally honest (much to my dismay) especially when giving work-related advice. She pushes me to always be my best and to never give up.

What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Director of Customer Success at Amwell?

We connected with Felicia Pease to find out!

Interested in learning more about Amwell and their job openings?  Make sure to check out their company page on VentureFizz!

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work? 

I grew up in New Jersey. My dad owned his own business (logistics) and my mom stayed at home to care for my sister and me. 

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?  

I studied Healthcare Marketing at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.  I had two incredible internships during school, supporting a Medtroninc medical device rep in the cardiac cath lab and rotating through field sales and in house marketing for another medical device company, MedComp.  I ended up getting hired by MedComp after graduation, moved home to NJ with my parents, and began building a net new territory in Central Jersey.  I was a 1099, so I had a negative budget when it came to entertaining prospects.  I made french toast casseroles and cupcakes to keep physicians and staff in the room during my product demos! I learned so much about our healthcare system, turning my successes into my customers’, and how to set and exceed goals (and bake :)) during my early jobs in sales. 

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now? 

I would love to make this sound elusive, but I truly believe my ability to read a room and adapt my style for the audience is largely to thank for my success.  I also love solving ticky problems and collaborating with people. I’m grateful for my lasting connections with clients, colleagues, and friends who have been instrumental in guiding me from one role to another. 

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as a Director of Customer Success at Amwell?

As a Director on Amwell’s newly formed Customer Success team, a good deal of my role has been focused on creating; building our customer success playbook, hiring and training, and supporting the launch of our organization to internal and external stakeholders.  I have an incredible VP, Regina Dolan, who empowers each member of her leadership team to take ownership over substantial parts of these efforts - it’s been a blast! At Amwell, CSMs are data-driven customer advocates responsible for championing our clients’ goals during our customer connections but also to our internal teams.   

Any tips for someone considering a career in your field? 

The most impactful CSMs on our team are skillful project managers with an acute emotional intelligence. Experiences that help an individual hone and sharpen these skills would set them up for a stellar career in Customer Success.  

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Coffee before 2PM and chamomile tea in a huge travel mug for the evenings!

What time do you start working? 

Usually between 8:30-9 AM (depending on how long the roundtrip bike commute to daycare takes)

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

Helping my team member succeed, helping my clients succeed, and doing so alongside brilliant, lovely humans.

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

We are a remote first and highly collaborative team! My day starts with a quick scan of my email for any pressing items before I dive into meeting.  When I am not on mentoring calls with my team or speaking to a client, I am usually offering a client perspective for product development or helping to build training programs.

What time do you typically wrap up the work day? 

I always try to stop at 5 to get my fill of family time while my little one is awake.

Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?  

I usually pick 1-2 nights to log back in each week. 

Any productivity hacks?

Whenever I get fidgety I find that changing my work station (thank you, standing desk!) or going for a quick walk with my pups recenter me.

What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?

MS Teams, OneNote, and Amwell 

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

I am incredibly proud of the team I get to support at Amwell and the brilliant, female leaders who trusted me to help build it. 

Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?

My counterparts in Professional Services taught me everything I know about Amwell and our products; they have definitely been my mentors here since day one.  I was also lucky enough to have an executive coach in my last role.  His guidance challenged me to be a more thoughtful leader and to level up the scope of my role/influence.