A Passion For Code Leads To Nike For Sandy Jacobs

Member Reflection
March 30, 2015
by Women Who Code HQ

Sandy Jacobs started her career as a Systems Analyst at IBM, and while partnering with programmers she quickly noticed something about their work that was different than hers: they were having a lot more fun.

Sandy took her first steps to pursuing a new, more fun career by going back to school at night to learn code — all while keeping her full-time day job. The workload was intense and the learning curve was steep, but as Sandy puts it, “Working in a field that I love where I get to code full-time made all the extra effort and hours worthwhile. The technology field has exploded and the opportunities for working on innovative, challenging projects are endless.”

Since going back to school, Sandy’s career has taken her around the country working as a developer at start-ups, Fortune 500 companies, and, most recently, at Nike.

“I feel so fortunate that my current job is my dream job,” said Sandy. “Nike provides a world-class engineering environment. From sponsoring Hackathons for women and providing a collaborative workspace, to hosting frequent team-building activities, it’s the perfect combination of hard work and fun. The camaraderie flows from sharing code to happy hours.”

During her time at Nike, Sandy has been particularly drawn to mobile programming. The breadth of development in the field — from front-end UI animations to complex back-end algorithms and database persistence — taps into every part of her brain, stimulating both the artistic and logical aspects of her personality.

“At Nike, our mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to athletes around the world,” said Sandy. “I feel lucky that my code helps spread a great message of motivation and athletic excellence that contributes in a positive way to improving the well-being of others.”

Sandy was first introduced to Women Who Code when she was trying to get access to the Google IO Conference, where a Nike App she had worked on was going to be unveiled in front of thousands of people during the keynote speech. Unfortunately, she was not able to get a ticket through the normal lottery system, but with the help of Women Who Code she obtained a discounted ticket and had the opportunity to witness the unveiling of the app ­ an event she describes as being a highlight of her career.

What advice does Sandy offer other women who are considering a new career path? Using the Nike motto as inspiration, Sandy says “Just Do It!” “The journey to a career doesn’t always follow a straight line.”

“Mastering your craft is the true path to gaining the respect of your peers,” she said. “Code is gender neutral. High quality code delivered on time, consistently, speaks for itself and is the key to overcoming biases and misconceptions about women.”

Find out more about Nike Consumer Digital Technology

Media Contact: Neal Brown | Chief of Staff
Address: Women Who Code HQ, 44 Tehama St, 5th Floor San Francisco, CA 94105
Email: press@womenwhocode.com

Originally published at www.womenwhocode.com on March 30, 2015.