I’m thrilled with the focus on diversity and inclusion. I’m hoping to see more doors open for women and minorities, and it will be great.
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What’s your title and how long have you been with CSC?
I’m a senior technology manager, and I’ve been with CSC for about eight years.
Give us a little insight into your job and what you do.
I lead a few teams. The Observability Team monitors the health and state of our infrastructure and applications. I also manage the ServiceNow Operations Team and the Web Systems Team. I lead a total of 12 people.
How did you get into technology?
My husband actually got me started in tech. He went to technical school to study technical support or something similar, and it piqued my interest. From conversing with him, I decided I wanted to do something in technology, too. So I entered a year-and-a-half-long program and studied programming—it was condensed and focused. This was back in the days of COBOL and all the older programming languages. Getting my hands on something, scripting things out, and seeing my program’s immediate result was gratifying.
This was in 1998, ’99, and we were heading into Y2K, which was supposed to be a big deal. I got my first tech job in the summer of ’99, and the sole focus was on Y2K, preparing for it, what we have to do with our programs, et cetera. And it turned out to be nothing at all. But I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I like working with people, leading them, coaching them, and helping them develop. I’ve been having a good time.
What did you do before you were in tech?
I had a job at a bank doing customer service. I was in insurance for a little while and even a real estate agent. I did lots of different things before I settled into tech.
Why did you choose to work at CSC?
My previous job was in health care IT, and I was there for about 16 years before they started laying people off. I was out of the job for about six months, summer was ending, and it was time for the kids to return to school. I saw a position at CSC posted on Glassdoor and decided to apply and see how it went. My mind was set on going to nursing school, but I went to the CSC interview, and they called me on my way home and offered me the job.
What’s your average day like?
Right now, I’m focused on delivering a platform called Elastic. It will give us better visibility into our world, infrastructure, and applications. We’ve been working on this for more than a year now, and we’re making good progress and moving forward.
What other roles have you held at CSC?
I started as a team lead and was promoted to manager and then senior manager.
What do you like most about the culture at CSC?
It’s the people. Leadership allows you to have and execute a vision, and you don’t hear “no” from them often. If you have a good idea and bring it to the table, present it well, and demonstrate the value it will bring to the business, you have a green light. That’s what I love about CSC and our leadership—if you have a good idea, it’s go, go, go!
What gets you excited to start work in the morning?
Talking with my teams and talking with the people. Even little things like having your camera on in a Teams meeting and seeing somebody on the screen and connecting with them. I’m generally a happy person, and seeing people and having that connection gets me going.
Is there something you’re learning now that’s important to your job?
How do we better lead across regions? How do we tap into capabilities? And from a cultural perspective, how do we be mindful of other cultures? We’ll be learning about holidays and traditions on the other side of the world, and I’m looking forward to that.
When you tell people outside CSC about your job, what surprises them?
When you work in technology, a lot of people think it’s hands-on, where you’re fixing computers. People are surprised about the operational side of it. We keep the engine running. Things are going on in technology other than development and hardware.
How is the work-life balance for you?
You learn how to handle what’s in front of you but must also learn how to close the book on your desk, close your planner, and walk away. Since COVID and working from home, it’s become even more challenging because your desk is right there at home. You must be purposeful when it’s five or six o’clock and time to stop for the day. It’s challenging, but you learn how to manage.
What opportunities do you see developing in the industry in the next few years?
I’m thrilled with the focus on diversity and inclusion. I’m hoping to see more doors open for women and minorities, and it will be great. We’ve had a lot of conversations around it, and I want to ensure we keep that same energy and passion around diversity and inclusion.
Have we piqued your interest? Consider joining us.
CSC offers exciting, career-building opportunities that allow our people to drive their career in the direction of their choice. A multi-time Top Workplace, we're a business, legal, and financial services company that provides knowledge-based solutions to clients worldwide. We're also the trusted partner of choice for more than 90% of the Fortune 500®, more than 90% of the 100 Best Global Brands®, and more than 70% of the PEI 300.
From our headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware across offices in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, CSC prides itself on a record of growth and stability. We've been privately held and professionally managed for more than 120 years.
We are the business behind business®. With us, you'll provide world-class client service while growing your career.
For more information, visit cscglobal.com/careers.
