Real Talk with Ochelle Drysdale
Meet Ochelle Drysdale, Futures Trading Application Developer at Goldman Sachs and member of /dev/color New York.
Location: New York City
Education: Polytechnic Institute of New York University
A Quote To Live By: “Excellence is not a single act but a habit. We are what we repeatedly do.” and “My commitments will either develop me or destroy me, but either way, they will define me.”
Connect with Ochelle: on her LinkedIn.
Tell us a bit about your early years.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I’m a first generation West Indian American (both parents are from St. Vincent and the Grenadines). As the oldest of 3 girls and a pastors kid, I think was safe to say the bar was set sky high. When I wasn’t in church, I was a part of the debate team, I excelled in music and math and by high school I had already learned 5 musical instruments (flute, clarinet, trombone, bass guitar and piano), played at Carnegie Hall and was taking advanced placement math and computer science courses. In college, I was heavily involved with NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers), I served as a regional zone chairperson (Metropolitan /Long Island NSBE chapters) and eventually Region 1 (North Eastern, Canada and West African NSBE Chapters) Vice Chairperson.
How did you get started in software?
I taught my self how to build webpages by viewing the source on simple webpages online. By 12 I was building customized webpages for my MySpace page and by 15 I earned money designing simple webpages for others. I didn’t compile my first program until my junior year of high school.
What are you focusing most of your time on now?
In my day job, I help manage the Futures Engineering execution stack by facing off with clients and traders to help them solve problems; I also develop software to support the needs of the business. But recently I’ve been focused on understanding the needs of the community of black engineers at GS in order to create impactful initiatives and programming.
What is the most interesting technical challenge you’ve worked on recently?
We’re rethinking the data strategy for our tech stack. It’s giving me a chance to explore cutting edge technologies like data lake to simplify the current architecture and streamline the way we analyze data.
Please state 2–3 of your current career goals? Why are these important to you?
I am focused on becoming an SME in the current stack I’m working on and use that as a platform for a promotion with a purpose. I’d also like to an ERG related talk that will galvanize other black engineers into investing into their respective ERGs.
Give an example of a recent time you’ve helped a fellow engineer. What lessons can be taken from their situation?
I have seen a lot of challenges in my career so far. Whenever I can I try to mentor any and every junior engineer that crosses my path. I try to show my mentees how to be proactive instead of reactive whenever necessary and as much as possible.
In what areas can /dev/color members reach out to you for help?
Data lake, Java, python, public speaking, ERGs
As a member of /dev/color you are also committed to developing yourself. Can you share some areas you are looking to improve?
Personal branding, leadership
Can you speak about any passions outside of programming?
I’m passionate about music. I sing and play bass guitar for fun :D
Why is being a part of an organization like /dev/color important to you?
/dev/color is the constant reminder that success exists and it looks like me.
Anything else you’d like to say/express?
My life thus far has taught me to cherish my failures just as much and my success. Both contribute to who I am today.
/dev/color is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower Black software engineers to help one another grow into industry leaders. We create environments where Black software engineers can learn from one another and hold one another accountable for reaching ambitious career goals. To learn more, check out our website and follow our blog & twitter account.
