10 Questions with Tilde Pier
Software Engineer at Pinterest
Tilde is a software engineer at Pinterest. Follow her on Twitter.
- When did you know you wanted to be in tech?
I wanted to be a software engineer when I was in middle school. I didn’t know anyone who was coding though, so it didn’t seem like a real possibility. I got a B.A. in Gender & Media Studies, paying for all of my tuition myself by working full-time, and I ended up working in Human Resources. Then I started dating a girl who’s a software engineer. She gave me the courage to quit my job, learn to code, and change careers. Now I’ve been at Pinterest for over 2 years.
2. Who’s your role model?
There are many folks who inspire past-Tilde and present-Tilde: Audre Lorde, Carrie Brownstein, Rebecca Sugar, Holly Herndon, and Lauren Chief Elk-Young Bear are a few.
3. What technology gets you excited?
I’m working on a side project called Mapping Police Violence, that visualizes police violence in the United States. We’re using Mapbox, which is a collection of open source tools for building maps. It’s well-documented and easy to use, and they opensource as much of their code as possible. It’s never been easier to use open data and tools to build things for social change, and that makes me excited about the future.
4. What’s a big challenge you’ve faced in your career journey, and how have you dealt with it?
When I was changing careers, I was absolutely petrified about technical interviewing. Having someone looking over my shoulder while I tried to figure out a problem just made my brain shut down.
I overcame it with a brute-force solution: practice, practice, practice.
I traded interviews with friends, I did coding problems in books, and I applied at companies I had no interest in working at to get some low-stakes interview practice. Eventually, the fear receded to the point where I interviewed well enough to get an offer.
5. What’s a time you felt immense pride in your work?
I built and shipped expanded gender options on Pinterest. Pinterest is all about helping people discover and save creative ideas, and everyone — lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, ally, straight — is included in that mission.
6. What’s something you want to get better at?
Asking for help. I have a tendency to remain stuck on a problem for too long.
7. Favorite city?
Every time I visit Berlin, I fall a little more in love. Berlin’s vegan food game is on point.
8. Best book you’ve ever read?
I’m bad at this picking favorites thing because I see different kinds of value in so many things. The best thing I’ve read recently was Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me.
9. If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?
Skydiving videographer.
10. If you could give your 18-year-old self any advice, what would it be?
Feelings are like a tunnel. No matter how you’re feeling, you’ll get to the other side eventually. It happens faster if you don’t fight it, though.
