The engineer who didn’t write a line of code until she was 25

Yvonne Coppinger, a senior site reliability engineer at Rent the Runway, did not start her career in technology until she was 25. Despite this late start, she firmly believes that "no skill is ever wasted" and has gained expertise through a variety of experiences. Her current role involves ensuring the consistency and security of software delivery, with a focus on the software delivery lifecycle.

Among her core skills are Kubernetes, Terraform, and Google Cloud. The engineer emphasizes the importance of troubleshooting, communication, and mentorship throughout her career. She has a passion for STEM youth outreach and teaching complex programming concepts to secondary school students. Communication is a key skill for her, as she regularly explains programming concepts to individuals with no prior experience.

She highlights that an SRE's main responsibility is to maintain the reliability, speed, and scalability of a company's systems. The engineer acknowledges that the tech scene in Galway is vibrant, but people tend to move between companies frequently, which she sees as an opportunity to continuously improve and upskill existing employees while supporting internal moves between teams.

She is also involved in mentoring interns and junior engineers, advocating for a diverse and inclusive environment. When applying for jobs, Coppinger advises candidates not to worry about meeting every single requirement on the job spec, but rather to focus on their transferable skills and their potential to learn new technologies.