A Day in the Life of an Engineer
Meet Isabella Forman , a Dataminr software engineer based in New York City. The Tufts University grad joined Dataminr as a participant in the New Grad Rotational program and has been with the company for over two years.
While in the rotational program, Isabella had the opportunity to work in multiple engineering teams—from mobile to backend engineering—to explore and identify which one would align best with her technical interests and working style. After successfully completing the program and joining the Dataminr Settings Platform team, she has been able to work on many engaging and rewarding projects.?
“I feel like I’m using all parts of my brain when I’m at work,” Isabella said.
Check out this Q&A to learn more about Isabella’s experience at Dataminr.?
Why did you decide to join Dataminr? What part of the job do you enjoy the most?
I decided to join Dataminr because of the company’s meaningful mission. Now that I’ve been here for more than two years, I still feel motivated and fulfilled by being able to make impactful contributions to the company’s vision. I also love my day-to-day responsibilities and the people I work with. My teammates are so intelligent, thoughtful, supportive and open-minded (not to mention funny!). It’s a joy to work with them every day.
How have you been able to grow your career at Dataminr?
As I moved across different teams as part of the grad rotational program, I started taking on more responsibilities and juggling more complex projects. Now, I’m a software engineer II and have been in charge of several projects. I’ve also developed my mentorship skills by becoming a mentor for incoming new grads. And I’m helping to improve the grad rotational program. Being able to share my experiences and skills is extremely fulfilling.?
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What about the field of engineering really appeals to you?
I love the problem-solving aspect of engineering. I often get immersed in the technical challenges we work on, and the day just flies by. Also, it’s pretty incredible to use my programming skills to build a product that can help so many people.
Can you describe what your typical day looks like?
On a typical day, I work on my current assignment which often involves collaborating with my team members. I also do some planning for the projects I’m leading—dividing them into milestones, creating tickets and communicating with the product team. Other daily tasks include attending team meetings, such as sprint planning, and looking at merge requests from my teammates.
Can you give an example of a rewarding challenge you faced?
Recently, we were charged with deploying our services in Europe. This was a complicated project that involved coordinating with multiple teams and working on services that I was not very familiar with. In the end, I successfully got our services up and running in the region, and I learned a lot about infrastructure, which was a relatively new territory for me!
How does Dataminr create a diverse and inclusive engineering culture for women and people of all backgrounds?
When I joined Dataminr in the new grad rotational program, all four of the participants were women. I can see that Dataminr is committed to fair, diverse and inclusive hiring practices. Additionally, we have nine employee resource groups, such as Black@Dataminr and Women@Dataminr, just to name a few, as well as a group for women in engineering.?
One of my favorite things about Dataminr is the company culture, which allows all voices to be heard and valued. In my experience, people at Dataminr really do listen to their teammates, even those with different backgrounds and opinions, which makes everyone feel seen and appreciated.