Polly Caldwell

Job:

Technical Lead

Company:

Auto Trader

I am a Technical Lead at Auto Trader. I work with people from across the business to develop new ideas and figure out how we can make them a reality. Every day is different and there is always a new problem to solve!

I am...

Determined

Pragmatic

Conscientious

The skills I use most in my job...

Problem solving

Leadership

Logic

Creativity

Organisation

The most interesting thing I've worked on in my career so far...

This is a tough question! I've worked on loads of great things, some really interesting from the tech point of view, like how to make a vehicle appear as if it is located everywhere across the UK simultaneously. Some that are really interesting from the product point of view, like the Reviews product we launched several years ago allowing buyers to read and leave reviews about sellers. Now that I'm a people manager I would have to say this is the most rewarding part of my job.

What inspired me into digital and tech...

I really didn't like computers very much right up until I started working as a developer. The programming I had done as part of my dissertation my supervisor was impressed with and thought I'd picked it up quickly. I started looking into what job roles were available and there were quite a few, with generous salaries. At the time I was torn between development and going into finance. I found the working environment and the people I met when applying for development roles made me feel a lot more comfortable than those of the finance roles; I felt like I could be myself. Eight years later here I still am!

My educational background is...

At school, I studied Maths, English, and Biology to A level, I then went on to study Mathematics at University. During my degree, I did a little bit of programming so decided to look into this further upon graduating. Since working as a developer every day has been a learning day, it's important to utilise the people and resources you have available.

What advice I'd give to girls thinking about a career in digital and tech...

Go for it! There are so many different roles available within digital and tech, there really is something for everyone. I would suggest people take a look into it, do some research and think about what things you like doing. Coding specifically is a lot of fun and I would encourage anyone reading this to give it a go, but even outside of coding there are loads of great jobs in digital.