Name: C. Michelle Thompson Sorensen
Title: Consultant
Company: Systems Evolution, LLC - Atlanta
How I arrived at my present job (academic and other influences): I studied computer science because that's what my father does, and I knew that there were plenty of jobs in computer science. Turns out, I like it. :-) That's a relief.
How I organize my day: I like to try to do my creative thinking in the morning, problem solving, system/database/etl design and hold meetings and do documentation in the afternoon.
Amount of time spent working daily (at home and office): 8 - 10 hours.
What I do to get myself thinking creatively: In the morning, a cup of coffee does me just right. If I talk about the problem out loud to myself or with another person, it really helps.
My problem-solving strategy: Take the smallest problem first, solve it, move on to the next. Break a big problem down into smaller problems and solve them one at a time. Otherwise, it can get overwhelming.
What I do to relieve stress: Work out, and have a beer or glass of wine with my husband.
My hero, mentor, or person I most admire and why: My mom. She's amazingly strong.
What I do to mentor those who work for me: I try to ask them questions when they ask me questions to get them thinking in a problem-solving way.
How a negative event changed my life in a positive way: I failed miserably at being a sys admin in graduate school. This was my first failure. For one, it shaped my problem solving method and brought it home that some problems just don't need to be solved, only fixed. This is a big prioritization thing that has really made my life easier since then.
One event or decision in my life I wish I could go back and change: Pushing my sister down when we were kids and not paying more attention to her.
What values are the most important to me and what I value in others: I value honesty, a sense of faith, patriotism, and humor in others.
What inspires, motivates, or gets me excited about my job on a daily basis: I love to figure things out. And, this job is all about figuring things out, talking to people about their business problems and designing a solution to address those problems. It's fascinating.
This survey was filled out February 1, 2002.
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Location: www.acm.org/crossroads/dayinlife/bios/michelle_sorensen.html