We are so pleased to welcome Margo Riordan, Software Engineering Apprentice, to the team. You can learn more about Margo below.
Tell us about yourself. Where are you from?
I think at this point in my life, I have to say that I’m from Ohio. Both of my parents graduated high school in Columbus and then I moved to Columbus after graduating high school and have been here ever since. It’s the longest I’ve lived anywhere.
Where did you go to school?
I’ve been studying computer science at Columbus State but have attended both CCAD and OSU as well. Before that, I actually graduated high school in Europe.
How did you get into software engineering? What areas of your field do you like to focus on?
My first stint with coding was with a TI-89 calculator. I found memorizing certain formulas in high school to be redundant, so I created some simple programs to do the work for me. This way, I could focus my energy on the conceptual ideas behind those formulas because that felt more important. It wasn’t until roughly a decade later that I was fully committed to software engineering, however. For a while, I struggled to choose between creative and logic based activities. I love them both equally! When I finally realized that software was a fantastic balance between creative problem solving, mathematics, and language, there was no going back.
As far as certain fields I’d like to focus on within software engineering, I think my curiosity gets the best of me. I’m still very green so everything is interesting. I really just like creating things and solving puzzles–throw in the instant gratification of seeing something work immediately and I’m hooked! Additionally, I love to help solve problems and to build things that add real value to people’s lives, so I feel like I’m in a good position to continue exploring. I was dipping my toes into machine learning earlier this year, which was incredible to learn about, but I feel like I have so much more learning to do before I can commit to anything relative to data science and engineering. And, quite frankly, I find software engineering to be more fun.
Do you have a code of ethics or a mantra that you live by when doing your work?
I believe in integrity and transparency. I feel like those two things combined work well in a multitude of situations. For example, as someone who spent a lot of time in customer service, I’ve felt that concise and honest communication is always the way to go which very much encompasses both integrity and transparency.
How do our core values (collaboration, initiative, ingenuity) align with your own?
I think these three core values not only align with my own but who I am and how I operate as a person in general. Starting with ingenuity, I’ve always had a great appreciation for creativity and love when things are taken out of context and used in a seemingly random way to accomplish something. Without creativity, things will stay relatively the same and there’s always room for improvement. If you combine creativity and initiative together, you’ve got gunpowder for something great. I think it takes a great deal of vulnerability to take action but I like to operate on the basis that the worst thing that will happen is someone says, ‘no’ and that simply leaves room for more or different opportunities. While these two things might start a movement, only with collaboration will the movement thrive. There is power in numbers and people are incredible.
What do you want to learn in the next 12 months as a Software Engineering Apprentice? What do you want to learn about the web development industry?
I’m not sure there’s a limit to what I want to learn. Of course there are a myriad of technical skills that I’m looking to gain, but I think that the most important things I will learn have to do with working on technology within a business and team environment. Those aren’t things you can learn on your own. I’m also excited to see how projects are designed and implemented from a client-facing perspective–this includes all negotiations between business, creative, development and client.
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
I’m willing to try any food once. With that being said, I’ve eaten a scorpion before. It was crunchy and pretty flavorless. Go for the crickets instead.
What is the one thing most people don’t know about you?
I’m a great teammate for games like Pictionary or Telestrations.
