We are excited to highlight Samantha Austin, a BYU alumni and Cloud Engineer at Southwest Airlines! Samantha works remotely from Heber City, UT, where she enjoys the flexibility of tackling new tasks and technologies in a dynamic and ever-changing environment. Each day, she collaborates with her team through agile meetings and culture committee discussions, while spending the majority of her time learning and developing new solutions in cloud engineering.
Samantha shared, "I have learned so much very quickly because of this opportunity to surround myself with incredibly smart people. It has helped me expand and learn from their experiences and become a more rounded developer very early in my career."
More About Samantha's Role at Southwest Airlines:
Samantha’s position as a Cloud Engineer involves enterprise-level cloud development, where she often adapts to new challenges and technologies. She typically works from 8-4 (CST) and manages a variety of tasks, from agile meetings and demos to hands-on technical development. Her work primarily involves backend development, where she has learned the importance of Python as a key tool for any backend or cloud-based role.
The most challenging aspect of her job has been overcoming imposter syndrome, especially as she works with a team of senior developers. She reflected, “It’s easy to feel dumb and slow, but it has been so rewarding to be a sponge for all the experience and expertise of the people around me.”
Despite initial doubts, Samantha has found immense growth through these challenges. She added, “You don’t need to be a great developer in school to become a great developer later. I left the MISM planning to avoid dev work, but when I got the opportunity, I took it and have learned so much. I’m still not amazing at dev, but I’m way better than I thought possible when I graduated!”
Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned:
- Enterprise-level cloud development is far deeper and more complex than what was covered in the IS/MISM programs.
- Python is essential for backend and cloud-based roles.
- Overcoming imposter syndrome and learning from senior developers has accelerated her growth as a developer.
Samantha’s Advice for Students: Samantha encourages students not to worry about being a perfect developer in school but to embrace opportunities that allow them to grow. She’s happy to connect with students interested in Southwest Airlines or cloud engineering and encourages them to reach out via LinkedIn.
A Bit About Samantha:
- Samantha loves to travel and is currently planning a trip to Taiwan and China with her husband.
- She enjoys staying active and makes it a priority to hit the gym each morning before work.
- Samantha lives in Heber City, UT, and works fully remotely, with quarterly trips to Dallas for in-person work weeks.
We’re proud of Samantha’s achievements and excited to see what she accomplishes next!
Connect with Samantha here!
10/11/24
