Puzzle Enthusiast. Software Developer. Conference Organizing Master.

Name: Ashley D.
Job Title: Software Developer, Business Intelligence Tools & Advanced Analytics

Life-changing career fair

I first noticed Discover as a junior in college during the fall internship fair at Illinois State University. After the fair, I ran back to my apartment to apply for the Business Technology internship program. Throughout my interviews and time on the Riverwoods campus, I noticed how welcoming and passionate about Discover everyone was. When I got the offer, I knew instantly I had to take this opportunity.

Expanding horizons

My internship experience was amazing. I improved on tools I already knew and expanded my horizons to learn new skills. Multiple mentors took an interest in my growth, which made me feel extremely valued. When they extended a full time offer after my internship, I felt overjoyed and (of course) accepted!

Finding a specialization

Now I’m part of the Business Intelligence Tools team specializing in an industry leading analytics and data visualization platform. My team is in charge of monitoring our data visualization environments and helping users all over the company. We provide consultations, host community events and perform regular upgrades to our environments.

Consulting success

My favorite part of my job is the internal consulting work. I sit down with new users of the data visualization tool and help them optimize their data collection process and dashboard efficiency. The community at Discover is amazing and extremely knowledgeable. I absolutely love working with them.

Trusting, traveling, tackling

It’s crazy to think back on my first day and realize how much I’ve grown since then. The amount of encouragement and the opportunities Discover has given me, is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. In less than a year, my team has trusted me with major projects that have deeply challenged me. I’ve been able to travel to multiple colleges for recruiting events, work with different teams from all over the company, host multiple community events, plan a design-a-thon, launch an Analytics and Data Visualization Day and much more! I feel confident tackling big projects because I know that when I get stuck, or need some advice, I can always call on one of my teammates to help.

Innovating with data visualization

I planned our Analytics and Data Visualization Day, a company-wide conference for our analytics and data visualization user community. We had over 300 attendees, brought in speakers from different companies and held breakout sessions. We talked about how our data visualization platform is currently being used at Discover and the advancements we plan on making to the environment in the future. This event was awesome because it gave me a chance to meet and work with our data visualization platform users from all over the company. Being able to plan such a large and impactful event was a huge honor for me. It was cool to see the confidence and support my team gave me while I was still within my first year at Discover.

Winning the President’s Award

I won a President’s Award this year! The President’s award recognizes employees across the company who have achieved exemplary business results while living the Discover values. Winning this award was an extreme honor for me. I felt the confidence and appreciation my team has in me—it’s an amazing feeling.

Perfect culture fit

Discover cultivates an environment where I can have fun while I get my work done. I’m a very outgoing person, and I feel like the culture is a perfect fit for me. The flexibility and work life balance Discover provides is my favorite perk. I’m a board game and puzzle enthusiast, I love to play sports (especially basketball), and I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. Having the option to work from home, coupled with Discover’s generous paid time off package, has allowed me to travel and spend time with my family, doing what I love most.

Joining up

Thinking of joining? DO IT! Discover has an amazing culture, work life balance and company direction. Discover is the type of company that cares about their employees (truly) and it definitely shows.