Name: Cayla Curtis

Title: Senior Product Manager

Education: Bachelor of Arts, Communications with a minor in music theory from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Company Description: Ping Identity is an identity and access management software and services company focused on innovative solutions to give the right people access to the right information at the right time.

Tell us more about your job.

As a product manager, I get to work on a fun team of creative and super smart people helping build solutions that our customers use every day to protect good people from those who want to steal their information! Every day I learn something new about our products and get to share how awesome they are with our customers. A product manager is like someone solving a big puzzle. We don't necessarily make the puzzle pieces, but we figure out how to fit them together, so the picture looks right.

Why is STEM important within your industry?

STEM is super important within Identity Security! It's like having a whole team of superheroes protecting your online world. Science helps find clues about threats (like robots trying to get into online accounts), technology provides the gadgets that let the right people access their accounts, engineering creates super shields to block even more types of attacks, and math helps design secret codes no one can crack. Together, each component of STEM works to keep your identity safe from the dangers of the internet!

Was there a specific moment when you decided you wanted to pursue STEM as a career?

What's funny is that I never recognized myself as someone wanting to pursue a career in STEM. I grew up naturally interested in STEM related topics, like wanting to learn how tornados and thunderstorms formed, or how the human body works, or wanting to sing and make music. For me, having a career in STEM is the culmination of being a young kid interested in how certain things worked and pursuing learning about them.

After college, I was fortunate to work for a technology start-up company. It was a small team that had a cool product that was like a magic helper that makes all your apps and gadgets talk to each other and work together perfectly, so everything is more fun to use. That was probably when I had my 'aha' moment that I wanted to continue down this career path. I enjoyed learning from my coworkers, who were so excited to talk about our product and teach me everything they know! Their enthusiasm coupled with seeing how technology can create cool things, is what really made me excited to learn more.

What do you like best about your job?

Going back to the puzzle analogy, I like it when my team and I want to figure out a new puzzle, and the process of putting the pieces together. It is fun being on a group call talking about how to make something work. Some coworkers have a lot of experience in one area of STEM, and others are super knowledgeable in other areas, so when we get together, it's a fun process watching and learning how we work together to solve our puzzle. It gives me the ability to stretch my imagination and think, "what's possible?" and work with smart people who help bring it to life.

What are the most important skills needed in your job?

I've met so many people in product management who come from many different backgrounds and skillsets. That's what I like about my job the most, you don't typically need to have one specific type of education. There are a few important skills and then some that help grow a person's experience in this kind of job. I believe learning about technology and understanding the foundation to computer science is great and will certainly help in this career. I also think the top skills are thinking about the big picture, like planning a super fun birthday party, figuring out the big theme and making sure all the fun parts fit together. Talking and teamwork is a big skill for this job to be able to explain your cool ideas clearly and help everyone work as a team. Listening, because ultimately, we want to hear what people need us to build and that input helps us make good decisions. I can't forget problem solving (remember the puzzle?). When something goes wrong or you want to build something new, problem solving helps product managers come up with smart fixes to keep everything working smoothly. Lastly, and I think this is the most important skill, staying flexible. For example, being able to stay ready for when things come up and learn how to move to another idea.

Have there been times in your career where you've faced difficult challenges and how were you able to overcome them?

Yes, and that's normal! Challenges, although they can be hard to figure out, ultimately are what helped me find my path in my career. Each challenge taught me something about myself and what I liked and didn't like as much. Being able to lean on mentors, people who helped me navigate these challenges, and learning that eventually I can and will overcome them is what helped me get through them.

What advice would you give to girls of all ages who are interested in STEM?

I think it's an exciting and fun time to be in STEM! If I could give some advice, it would be to follow the things that make you curious. If you've ever wondered how something works, or was made, or find anything in the world super cool or interesting, go learn about it! It will most likely lead you to a STEM related concept, and what better way to learn about STEM then by something you find interesting already!