Bridget is an Engineer on the Tools team, and works remotely from Bristol in the UK.
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| Bridget enjoying a hike in Yosemite |
I grew up Northern Ireland and moved to Bristol in 2007 to study Computer Science. I had been interested in computers and technology from a young age but I actually didn't start programming until I started my degree. Once I got started though, I knew that that was what I wanted to do!
After graduation, I decided to stay in Bristol as I really loved the city. I joined SN Systems (a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment) to work on the toolchain for PlayStation consoles having developed an interest in compiler technology while at university. I learned a lot during my time there but as I attended more and more meetups in the area, I realised that there was still so much for me to learn. I started to hear more about cloud and container technologies and so I made the decision to look for a new opportunity and later joined ClusterHQ and then Bitnami.
Why did you join Bitnami and what excites you about working here?
Over the course of my career, I have become interested not only in how we develop tools but also in the impact of user and developer experience when using them. I found it really exciting to be able to join a company that is working to make it easy for users to get started with the software they want to use. I wanted to contribute to creating that great experience.
Bitnami also seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to use the skills that I had learnt through previous roles and build upon them. There are challenging problems to solve, new technologies to learn, and a fantastic team to work with and learn from, all of which I find really motivating.
I was a bit nervous joining as a remote employee but I really shouldn’t have been. Everyone has worked hard to make me feel welcome and part of the team, and they are always searching for ways to improve and make that experience better. The welcome GIF that my team made for me for my first day is still one of my favourite things!
What are you working on?
During my time at Bitnami, I’ve primarily focused on improving the internal tools that we use for testing the applications that we package. Since Bitnami packages applications for so many different platforms, it’s important to make our testing consistent so that the experience is consistent for our users regardless of which platform they use. My team works closely with the team responsible for testing those packaged applications and keeping them up to date to try and make that testing process as easy as possible. I will soon be joining a new team to contribute to the development of the tools that we use to automate the build and release of our containers and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with new people and learn about new technologies.
What do you like to do for fun?
I really enjoy crafts, particularly knitting and crochet, and have also recently been dabbling in calligraphy. I have a tendency though to collect more supplies than I will need! I also like to travel and recently had a trip to the US where I got to hike in some of the beautiful national parks, go on some amazing roller coasters, and see a rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center!
Interested in working with Bitnami and Bridget? Apply for one of our open positions!