Name:Lisa Shannon
Title:Sr. Software Egineer
Company:Level8 Systems
Contact:
lisa.shannon@level8.com
How I arrived at my present job (academic and other influences): I like problem solving. The trickier the better. The technical challenges had pretty much dried up with the last company I worked for. My former company wanted me to go into management. I wanted to become a better programmer. I looked for a company that would allow me to grow technically without forcing me into management. This one fit the bill. Interesting technical challenges and no pressure to jump right into management.
How I organize my day: My days are pretty much free form. I have assignments for new pieces of the product which are my primary focus. However if testing or a client finds a bug I usually drop everything else to fix the bug, especially if the client is important to us. Since I work for a small company, everyone is aware who pays our salaries. So when a client has a problem (as determined by our first level support) we fix it.
Amount of time spent working daily (at home and office): Most days 8 hours in the office. Occasionally I have to put in some weekend time.
What I do to get myself thinking creatively: When I can't solve a problem with my known bag of tricks. I'm a bit egotistical. I don't like not being able to solve a software problem.
My problem-solving strategy: Look for the patterns.
What I do to relieve stress: Bike, crochet, go to the movies.
My hero, mentor, or person I most admire and why: I don't really have one.
What I do to mentor those who work for me: I don't have anyone working for me.
How a negative event changed my life in a positive way:
Negative event: I got cancer.
Positive effect: Now that I'm better, the sun rises and sunsets are
brighter and more beautiful. I generally appreciate the little things
in life. I used to be a "glass is half empty" person. Since my little
battle I'm pretty much a "glass is half full" person.
One event or decision in my life I wish I could go back and change: None really. All of the past events in my life have made me who I am today. And I'm not a bad person. So even some decisions that turned out to be disastrous, I don't really regret. They are all part of my particular path.
What values are the most important to me and what I value in others: Honesty. A willingness to accept that every one of us is human.
What inspires, motivates, or gets me excited about my job on a daily basis: Any problem that helps me learn more about my craft. When people that I consider more intelligent than me consider me intelligent.
Achievements:
I have a masters degree.
I am a woman working successfully in a field still dominated by men.
I teach Computer Science part time at a local community college, and I
think I'm pretty good at it.
Top achievement: I have people in my life who love me.
Goals:
To continue to learn and value learning.
To continue to grow and value growth in others (as hard as it may be
sometimes).
This survey was filled out on February 1, 2002.
Last Modified:
Location: www.acm.org/crossroads/dayinlife/bios/lisa_shannon.html