Jessica Dillon: A Software Engineer Who’s Living The Dream
MySpace was Jessica Dillon’s inauspicious introduction to the world of programming. There she dabbled with profile layouts and designs using simple CSS styling techniques. In college she studied Business Administration and Geology, but she also got another taste of the tech world, finding employment in the IT field. This position showed her that she had an aptitude and interest for code.
This interest inspired Jessica to apply for an internship at a web development company called Quick Left. They accepted her, and she quickly began to learn the art of coding. Excelling at her position, the company graduated her to an apprenticeship, then hired her as a junior software engineer, and then finally promoted her to a full software engineering position in less than two years.
Today Jessica works at an exciting startup called Bugsnag. There she is an important part of a small team, where her decisions and input have a real impact on the entire company. While the work is challenging, she finds it fascinating to have so much ownership over the product. She also enjoys learning new things and solving problems with the help of her colleagues. It’s a position she describes as her “dream job.”
Jessica is also active in the tech community, and she has given presentations at a number of prestigious conferences. Recently she did a talk at CSSConf Oakland about a CSS testing framework she created using RSpec and Selenium at Bugsnag. She’s also spoken at the Airbnb Tech Talks, the jQuery Conference, the Boulder Women’s Developer Group, and the Women Who Code Boulder Chapter.
A strong network of female peers and mentors has given Jessica guidance, advice, and opportunities during her career. One group that became particularly important to her was Women Who Code. She was first made aware of the organization when the kick-off party for the opening of their Boulder, Colorado chapter was sponsored by the company she worked for. Jessica quickly found a home there, finding inspiration, assistance, and support from its members. They also helped her find more speaking opportunities, which has added another dimension to her career.
Jessica Dillon continues to learn and grow, rising to each new challenge with strength and aplomb. She also takes time to give back, working as a mentor to people just entering the tech field, and teaching workshops to help educate the next generation of software engineers. In this way she is able to support the community while also strengthening her network of professional colleagues.
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