When I first joined the workforce, I searched for a job that was both intellectually challenging and constantly adapting – essentially where I would find every day fresh. As a computer engineering student at the University of Virginia, I was able to take in a variety of experiences. Each day was different. One day I would work late into the night building integrated circuits in the computer science lab. The next I would be working with a student as a counselor for the University’s honor system, learning their story, helping them through the process. On the weekends, I played intramural soccer (poorly) or volunteered on community service projects.
The summer before my senior year, I assisted one of my professors in a civil engineering laboratory. The work was technically fascinating and reminded me why I got into engineering, essentially that thrill of creating something that worked. However, by the end of the summer I realized that the academic world was not for me. While it satisfied my engineering interests, it felt too narrowly focused, I needed something more varied and more importantly I needed to see the end effect of what I created. I took that knowledge with me into my job search senior year. I wanted to capitalize on my computer engineering degree while still being able to work directly with people.
I interviewed with many large corporations but in the end found Appian. The Appian employees I met through the interview process were intelligent, full of energy, and most importantly loved what they did, just the people I wanted to work with. I was offered a position in Appian's consulting division, which meant I would be working with Appian's clients, helping them build computer systems to make their organizations more efficient. This seemed like the combination of technical and business-focused work that I was looking for. At the time, the company was relatively small compared to the other 100,000 employee behemoths I had interviewed with. I got the impression that I could immediately make a big impact, that I would be given responsibility quickly and that I would learn a ton.
I underestimated how true that would be. After attending a six-week training course, I was quickly placed in the field where I could immediately contribute to projects. Over the next four years, I worked on a variety of projects, often working directly with executives, helping them solve their organization’s biggest IT problems. Currently, I oversee several projects Appian leads in the federal space. The project based atmosphere has allowed me to learn about various industries, requiring me to perform a variety of roles, forcing me to constantly reinvent myself. Each day is different. On a given day I might be creating a proposal with our sales team, delivering a speech at a client's outreach event, or working with designers as they invent a new feature. It is this variety, the ability to learn so much, the ability to grow professionally and personally that has made my experience at Appian so meaningful.
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