- Fun Facts
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For fun, flying. I was in the process of getting my pilot’s license (interrupted by renovating my house). Totally going to retire in Hawaii and fly tourists around for fun.
Bucket list: Snow-kiting. Skiing with a giant parachute strapped to your back ready to pluck you from the tender grasp of gravity at a moment’s notice to send you soaring around (and down, mostly down) the mountain.
Biographical tidbit: Grew up all over the world: China, New Zealand, France, and the East Coast. I was even multilingual for a period of time. (Spoke French like a native, as my parents tell it. Failed French in high school. Go figure.)
What initially drew you to apply to work at Medallia?
Networking. Through my grapevine I had heard about a great opportunity at Medallia, and I figured I could always brush up on my interviewing skills. And man, do they give a mean interview. =)
What other opportunities and fields were you considering?
Lab rat. I was a chemistry major and was going to sit in a lab staring at test tubes all day. Luckily I found out in college that being a lab rat has certain disadvantages. Like staring at test tubes all day.
Why did you ultimately choose Medallia?
It was an intriguing opportunity. I had never worked in a SaaS company, and I felt that this was ultimately going to be the model of the future. I wanted in.
How has your experience measured up to your expectations? What surprised you or has surprised you over time?
The speed at which responsibilities are given to you. By my third month, I was tasked with managing technical and facilities aspects of relocating the Medallia headquarters.
How does your experience at Medallia compare to your friends’ experiences in other jobs?
The breadth of experience is completely different from what my friends are getting. They’re typically tied to a role in a hierarchy, responsible for something in their division. Here there’s no shortage of problems and opportunities to help out everywhere.
How would you describe your responsibilities at Medallia?
Um … if it plugs into a wall and has an on/off switch, I’m probably in some way responsible for nurturing it.
What was your job prior to Medallia?
Sysadmin at a medical device company.
What are some similarities/differences between your past and current roles?
The scope of work is completely different. While I was responsible for everything there, it was a stable company with systems already developed and no urgency to scale. Here it’s completely different. Every month, we outgrow a solution and have to figure out how to make it work for a much larger and growing company.
What is the best thing about working at Medallia?
It’s a great working environment. The people are friendly, the culture is dedicated towards building things, and the company offers ample resources to support you. It’s fun getting to work every day (post-coffee at any rate) and working on projects that make a difference going forwards.
How would you describe Medallia to your friends? What would you want them to know about Medallia?
It’s an exciting place to work. We’ve had consultants that have been around to hundreds of other companies and have remarked that Medallia is one of the very few places where people are smiling at work. It’s kind of surprising how uncommon that is elsewhere.
