Meet Elisa Binette

How did you initially get involved with PDXWIT? I've been a LinkedIn group member for a while, but my previous role didn't afford me a lot of time to participate in networking activities as frequently as I would have liked.

How have your connections at PDXWIT helped with your career path?  
It's been inspiring speaking with all of the women who either work in or are interested in tech.  It's also helped me connect with other diversity-related organizations and events.  I find it fascinating and motivational to hear how people found their way into tech through unconventional career paths.  Many have educational backgrounds that were not a STEM curriculum but are still incredibly creative. Initially, I didn't apply for the role I was hired into at New Relic. Based on the job description I felt I had gaps in my skill set. I participated in an event that had a few companies there informally recruiting. Caito Scherr was an intern at the time and was so energetic and encouraging, I decided it couldn't hurt to call the recruiter at New Relic. Full disclosure: I had worked with him in a previous role, so that helped.

How do you continue to be involved with PDXWIT?
I'm focused on settling into my new role but want to stay an active participant in networking events.   In the future I hope to participate on behalf of New Relic — we'd really like to become a more diverse engineering organization.

Do you have any tips and advice to others?  
Clarify in your own mind what you want to be doing and what type of company you want to be doing it for. Be confident in your abilities. Apply for that job even if you don't think your skills cover every bullet on the job posting!

I consider myself extremely fortunate to have this opportunity to work with a group of such amazingly brilliant and talented individuals, for an innovative and socially conscious company that looked beyond my black and white job history and valued the talents and transferable skills I've developed throughout the years.