Women in Technology: Amy Adams

Customer Success Manager for GiveWP on the ability of connection, creative problem-solving, and the various opportunities within the tech field.

Amy Adams grew up knowing the importance of an open door. “I grew up in a semi-rural a part of Connecticut,” she says. “Despite there only being 4 of us—myself, my parents, and my older brother—our home was at all times open to anyone that showed up at our door. We invited friends passing through the world or a stray animal was on the lookout for their next home.”

A shy kid in highschool, Adams turned to art and film. “I did a little bit little bit of theater, but I used to be mostly making art, whether drawing or painting,” she says. “One other escape for me was movies. I used to be either at the flicks or watching movies at home every weekend. I sometimes throw on a movie for background noise while working. It normally must be some variety of motion, sci-fi, or fantasy – normally a mix of the three.”

Growing up, she worked odd jobs: pet-sitting, dog walking, decorating, and painting. “It was a number of fun but unreliable,” she says. Then, after a while, she began working in a “big box” ironmongery store, selling flooring installations and materials. “I used to be able to be done loading trucks with boxes of tile and wood planks, so I used to be on the lookout for a change,” she says.

That’s when she began working with GiveWP in November 2019, where she is now a Customer Success Manager. “I answer presale questions on what our software does and help onboard latest customers,” she says. “An enormous a part of my job is keeping track of feature requests and writing proposals when certain features get a number of attention.”

For Adams, certainly one of the largest perks of the job is attending to work within the places she feels most inspired. “What I truthfully love most,” she says, “is selecting my environment. Some days I’m more productive at a busy coffee shop with my laptop. Most days, I’m more productive working in my home office from my giant monitor and standing desk. Sometimes only a change of scenery can keep the day fresh and stop it from feeling like a grind.” Adams also loves the connection a job in tech provides. “I’ve been very fortunate to search out myself in a really supportive corner of the WordPress community,” she says.

That appreciation of community and connection extends to customers, too. “Seeing our customers’ needs go from a wishlist item to a completely realized feature is such an incredible experience,” Adams says. “I’m at all times excited for a brand new feature or functionality, especially after I had a hand within the project somewhere along the best way.”

To supply customers this type of experience, Adams tries to look at the larger need expressed by the client and where that need comes from. “Then I take a look at the small print,” she says. “My job can, at times, require creative problem-solving, so I like to take a look at each problem in three steps: zoomed out to see the massive picture, zoomed in to look at the small print, then zoomed back out to see the way it all comes together. Or big picture, high quality details, then back out again.”

When asked what motivates her, Adams says her fun answer is coffee, and her honest answer is coffee and a pat on the back. “I even have a habit of second guessing myself into stasis until I get a ‘keep going’ or ‘you’re on the precise track!’ because a small encouragement does wonders for getting through the week,” she says. “I attempt to be encouraging to others in the identical way.”

To search out that encouragement, Adams says she has an incredible support system. “The people in my life have my back,” she says. “My friends, husband, and work environment are very supportive! I also read psychology textbooks and journals. Learning how the mind operates has helped me approach most situations with the tip user on the forefront. It’s easier to guide someone to an answer once you recognize how they might have ended up of their current situation and empathize with how they’re feeling.”

To encourage those occupied with pursuing a profession in tech, Adams says the vast opportunities in tech is a wonderful place to start out. “There’s a couple of sort of opportunity within the tech field because every kind of skills are needed on this industry,” she says. “I didn’t need to construct web sites or be a developer to bring value to my company. I just needed to be willing to learn something latest. I personally wasn’t occupied with tech as much as I used to be occupied with a profession change. Now it’s hard to picture myself doing anything!”

She also says that should you’re occupied with tech, you already belong here. “You learn a little bit to get within the door. Then whatever you don’t know, you possibly can learn. But you might have to be willing to learn.”

Adams is glad with a quiet day at home working on art projects when she’s not at work. Otherwise, she enjoys exploring latest places. “Whatever I’m doing almost at all times includes some sort of coffee,” she says. She spends as much time as possible drawing and painting artwork mostly reflective of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. When she’s not working on art projects, she’s normally carving out time for video games, Dungeons & Dragons, and watching hockey together with her husband.