Our Yellowbrick team members are some of the smartest data-minded people in tech – and they have a wide range of talents, interests, and hobbies outside of their job. In this Yellowbrick Spotlight series, they share their unique personalities, as well as the experience, accomplishments, and successes they bring to Yellowbrick every day.
This month’s Q&A is with David Tran, our Senior Staff QA Engineer, who helps develop, test, and deliver new features in our product. His other full-time job is being a husband and father to two boys, one girl, and a Maltipoo. Outside of work, David enjoys hanging out with friends and watching local sporting events.
Get to know David in his own words below.
How long have you worked at Yellowbrick?
Four years this December 2022.
How would you describe what you do?
My role involves working closely with other teams within Engineering to develop, test, and deliver new features in our product. My background is in Quality Assurance so I’m always looking for bugs or finding ways to better enhance the user experience for our customers.
What do you love most about your job and/or working at Yellowbrick?
The current product(s) are great and our roadmap is even more exciting. The Engineering team is full of talent. Everyone is always willing to help each other. We learn from each other and work together in delivering a great product. There are always challenges along the way, but we always come together to ensure it’s the best decision for the customers.
What does a day in the life at Yellowbrick look like for you?
The schedule is flexible so I’m able to work remotely. My work and life balance have been great as I can drop off and pick up my kids from school daily while at the same time putting in productive hours at home on my projects. I do come into the office or data center if my work requires physical access to testing equipment. Meetings are held on Zoom or a quick huddle with a colleague.
What did you do prior to joining Yellowbrick and how did you end up here?
Prior to Yellowbrick, I worked at larger public companies in QA working on storage products. The working environment and the people there are not comparable to those at Yellowbrick. The size of the teams were larger, so everyone had their small area of expertise. Here at Yellowbrick, we get the opportunity to work in different areas of the product so even after 4 years I’m still learning something new each week.
How have your unique experiences and insights made you successful in your career, and at Yellowbrick?
I’m very organized and detail oriented, a skill I’ve learned working in this role for so many years. When testing a new feature or our next-generation products, this skill has helped me organize my testing strategy and methodically work through every aspect of testing to ensure we deliver a quality product.
What’s the most unique part about working for Yellowbrick?
The open culture. I’ve never worked at a company where it was ok to have a beer or a glass of wine while at work. I don’t do it often, but I thought it was a pretty cool and laid-back environment when I first started working here.
The Engineering management team at Yellowbrick is great, and have been supportive of my personal development and put their trust in me to get the job done.
What’s your favorite Yellowbrick benefit?
For me, it is the flexibility to work remotely. I have young children so having the ability to step out for 20 minutes each day to pick them up from school is very important.
What advice do you have for someone starting their career?
Just work hard but smart. If there are things you can do to make your job easier, explore them. Always try to learn something new but especially enhance your skills in different programming languages. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
What has been the proudest moment of your career?
I don’t have an exact moment, but I feel proud whenever I’m part of a team that successfully delivers a new feature or product. For example, when we delivered our 2nd Gen product, Andromeda, we all put in a lot of hard work across many teams within the company. There was a sense of pride in being a part of that team after the launch.
What’s the best midday work snack?
A fruit (preferably an apple or banana).
When you’re not at work, what can we find you doing?
Hanging out with friends and watching local sporting events. Sometimes just taking a day trip with the family to nearby spots like Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Half Moon Bay, or Napa Valley is not surprising. We have our annual trip to Brentwood for cherry and strawberry picking. We’ve recently taken camping/hiking trips with our extended families so that has been fun.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
The power to teleport. I’ve always wanted to travel and see the world, but with a family and financial obligations that wish is on hold for the future. With the ability to teleport I could go wherever I want and whenever I want.
Want to learn more about life at Yellowbrick, or our open career opportunities? Visit our Yellowbrick Careers page.