This document outlines Krishhelle Richardson-Hurley's career transition from high school teacher to site reliability engineer at Dropbox. After 6 years as a teacher, she felt unfulfilled and decided to explore other careers using design thinking. She created prototypes like computer animation and tech careers. Testing these led her to realize coding provided fulfillment. She prepared by attending Hackbright Academy's bootcamp. Now as an SRE, she enjoys using problem solving and design in her code and systems work, impacting Dropbox's reliability. The document provides strategies for others considering a career change, including paying attention to behaviors and interests to inform possible new paths.

1. M Y C A R E E R I N C O D I N G A N D
H O W I T R A N S I T I O N E D M Y
C A R E E R
K R I S H E L L E H A R D S O N - H U R L E Y, M . E D .
S I T E R E L I A B I L I T Y E N G I N E E R @ D R O P B O X

2. Upcoming Events:
RSVP at www.hackbrightacademy.com/events
Hackbright Academy - Info Session
Tue, 4/11 from 6:30PM - 8:00PM at Hackbright Academy
Learn about our full-time Engineering Fellowship and our part-time
Hackbright Prep Course! Gain insights into our curriculum, meet our
instructors and staff, hear from alumnae, and more.
Coffee Chat with Hackbright Team
Thur, 4/13 anytime between 5:30PM - 7:30PM at Hackbright
Academy
Have questions about our two programs? Stop by for coffee with
some of our team to learn more and get your questions answered.

3. O B J E C T I V E S A N D A G E N D A

4. O B J E C T I V E S A N D A G E N D A
• Objective #1: Walk through my experience making a career change.
• Objective #2: Offer strategies on how you can approach your own career
change.
• Objective #3: Offer resources to help you along the way.

5. O B J E C T I V E S A N D A G E N D A
• PART 1: My Background and how I decided to change my career.
• PART 2: How I prepared to change careers.
• PART 3: My role at Dropbox, and how I got there.

6. PA R T 1 : M Y B A C K G R O U N D A N D H O W I D E C I D E D T O
C H A N G E M Y C A R E E R

7. • San Diego born to family of educators
• B.A. in Mathematics and Spanish, CA
Teaching Credential from USD
• M.Ed. in Mathematics and Technology
Education from USD
• 6 years as a High School Math and Spanish
Teacher
PA R T 1 : M Y B A C K G R O U N D A N D H O W I D E C I D E D T O
C H A N G E M Y C A R E E R

8. • Strategy #1: Pay attention to your
behavior
• Unhappy
• Taking on more work
• Side Projects
PA R T 1 : M Y B A C K G R O U N D A N D H O W I D E C I D E D T O
C H A N G E M Y C A R E E R

10. E X H A U S T E D .

11. • Strategy #2: Open your mind to the
possibilities
• Begin a conversation about a
career change
• Research other careers and
resources
• Joseph Lui’s Tedx Talk and
Website
PA R T 1 : M Y B A C K G R O U N D A N D H O W I D E C I D E D T O
C H A N G E M Y C A R E E R
Resource #1: josephpliu.com

12. PA R T 1 : M Y B A C K G R O U N D A N D H O W I D E C I D E D T O
C H A N G E M Y C A R E E R
Summer
2015
Fall 2015
Part 2
Courtesy of Joseph Liu’s Career Roadmap

13. – J O S E P H L I U , C A R E E R R E L A U N C H
“When you’re lost, figuring out exactly where you are is often the first
step toward deciding where to go next.”

14. PA R T 2 : H O W I P R E PA R E D T O C H A N G E C A R E E R S

15. • Strategy #3: Apply design thinking to your life
• Identify the problem
• Develop multiple prototypes to solve the
problem
• Test your prototypes
• Iterate on the chosen path
PA R T 2 : H O W I P R E PA R E D T O C H A N G E C A R E E R S
Resource #2:
Designing Your Life

16. • Problem: I am not fulfilled as a teacher.
• What do I like about teaching? What don’t I
like?
• What do my side projects provide that teaching
does not?
• What makes me feel fulfilled?
• Reframe: I need to find a career where I can use
design and problem solving to complete
impactful projects.
PA R T 2 : H O W I P R E PA R E D T O C H A N G E C A R E E R S

17. M Y M I N D M A P — F R O M D Y L

18. • Problem: I am not fulfilled as a teacher.
• What do I like about teaching? What don’t I
like?
• What do my side projects provide that teaching
does not?
• What makes me feel fulfilled?
• Reframe: I need to find a career where I can use
design and problem solving to complete
impactful projects.
PA R T 2 : H O W I P R E PA R E D T O C H A N G E C A R E E R S

19. • Prototypes
• Computer Animation
• Curriculum Design via EdTech
• Teacher Training via Ph.D.
• Tech (Product or Engineering)
PA R T 2 : H O W I P R E PA R E D T O C H A N G E C A R E E R S

20. • Testing Prototypes
• Animation Course
• Researched Ph.D Programs
• Read blogs, books, etc.
• Conversations:
• Ph.D. Students and Professors
• (Ed)Tech employees
• Friends and Family
• Hackbright Academy Open House and online coding
PA R T 2 : H O W I P R E PA R E D T O C H A N G E C A R E E R S

21. • Strategy #4: Pay attention to what speaks to
you
• What excites you in conversation with
others?
• Does it feel like something/someone is
directly speaking to you? What is it?
• What topics/tasks get you into a flow
where you do not even notice time?
PA R T 2 : H O W I P R E PA R E D T O C H A N G E C A R E E R S

22. – D E S I G N I N G Y O U R L I F E
“When you think like a designer, when you are willing to ask the
questions, when you realize that life is always about designing
something that has never existed before, then your life can sparkle in
a way that you could never have imagined.”

23. PA R T 3 : M Y R O L E AT D R O P B O X A N D H O W I G O T
H E R E

24. PA R T 3 : M Y R O L E AT D R O P B O X A N D H O W I G O T
H E R E
• Site Reliability Engineer
• Software Engineering +
System Operations
• Design in my code and
system design
• Projects that impact the
reliability of Dropbox.
Resource #3:
tinyurl.com/wanttobeSRE

25. PA R T 3 : M Y R O L E AT D R O P B O X A N D H O W I G O T
H E R E
Resource #4:
tinyurl.com/BootcamperJobSearch
• Strategy #5: Have a career blueprint/
roadmap and review it consistently
• Create a holistic story that is
consistent with your overall design
• Create frameworks to execute your
blueprint
• Reflect and make changes along the
way

26. – I M A N I D AV I D
“The life you make is the life you will have. Your decisions are your
blueprint”

27. R E V I E W
• Strategy #1: Pay attention to your behavior
• Strategy #2: Open your mind to the possibilities
• Strategy #3: Apply design thinking to your life
• Strategy #4: Pay attention to what speaks to you
• Strategy #5: Have a career blueprint/roadmap and review it consistently

28. T H A N K Y O U ! A N Y Q U E S T I O N S ?