WWCode Conversations #56: Pooneh Mokariasl, Site Reliability Engineer at Criteo
Written by Deepali Chouhan
Deepali Chouhan, Network Director for Women Who Code, Vancouver, Canada, interviews Pooneh Mokariasl, Site Reliability Engineer at Criteo in Paris, France. They discuss the differences and similarities of Pooneh’s engineering roles. They also discuss Criteo’s Voyageurs program and the unique opportunity to explore working with other teams within the company.
Can you tell us more about your career journey?
From the age of 18, I studied computer engineering in Iran, and then I moved to France. I continued to study computer engineering at Sorbonne University in France. For my bachelor's, I studied hardware engineering and for my master's, network engineering. In my first job, I joined the company as a network engineer. I moved to Criteo, where I am now working as a site reliability engineer.
You have also worked as a system and network engineer. Now you have moved to site reliability engineer. Are these similar, or are they different from each other?
They are not exactly the same, but they are not really far. As a site reliability engineer, or in some companies, we call it DevOps, you are some kind of network and system engineer, trying to automate everything. You need to know to code and use the coding skills to implement your knowledge. In different site reliability engineering teams in our company, many people came from software engineering and network, system, or operation engineering backgrounds. From both backgrounds, you can come to this job, it's a combination.
What's the part of the job that you find really interesting?
The good thing about site reliability engineering or DevOps is that you are in the middle of all of the things. Part of your job is coding. In the future, you can move to any other team, at any other company. Part of your job is having the knowledge and doing the same as the operation teams. These various tasks make me feel that I'm not doing something very repetitive. Every new task is a new adventure for me.
What do you suggest to people that want to move to DevOps or to a site reliability engineer? What would be their career trajectory or path for them?
Know coding, even very basic things, for basic tasks. If you have this chance to get into a company as a DevOps or site reliability engineer in a very short time, you can improve your coding skills. You will learn a lot. There are lots of websites where you can start to gain that basic computer engineering knowledge.
Is your company supportive of you moving from one project to another project?
Yes. When I started my job, I didn't have any idea about real work in tech. When I moved to Criteo, in the interviews, they mentioned a program in our company, which is called Voyageurs. It means traveling in English. You can just talk with your manager and the manager of any other team in the company and join them for two weeks for the experience. Maybe you don't like it. Maybe you love it. I think that it is a brilliant idea because it gives value to the company because they don’t lose someone because they don't like their job. Work can become very repetitive. When you have this opportunity two or three times per year, even if you don't move completely, you will learn a lot from new teams.
How often can you do it? Can you do it twice a year or once a year? Are there any restrictions?
There are no restrictions. We are encouraged by our managers to do it. You will learn a lot about the teams and jobs around you. They suggest we do it at least once per six months. If you really like something, some department, even the people of that department, you can just join them. Women who are working in tech companies, but are not really doing engineering things, have a way to experience these roles. Even for people who are just scared of changing their journey. It can really open a door.
Tell us how your experience has been going through the Voyageurs program yourself.
It is not difficult because when your manager says that you should do it, you look around and find interesting things. I am wondering what it is like on the management side of engineering. I haven't done it yet, but I have started to discuss it with the other teams. They are super open to me going there to see what they are doing. Maybe I am not very beneficial to them for two weeks, but for me, it will open a door. It is not difficult for anyone to say that they need a change.
Can you share how Criteo has supported your career growth?
We have access to a lot of free courses. We can learn new things every time that we need. We ask our manager for a pause to learn something new to come back with a new spirit and new ideas. We have a lot of communities in Criteo. We have a community for everyone. We have a community for women, LGBTQ, and parents.
Is there anything you would like to share from your experience that was really helpful in terms of personal or professional growth?
Never be afraid of doing new things. Don’t be afraid to change. Go from network to coding or coding to network. There are a lot of new things to learn. Going outside your comfort zone means a lot. Doors will open after that. Make your network bigger. Don't be afraid, just go out there and try what you love doing. Also, talk about your roles in tech, share your experience. It can impact society and maybe influence more women to work in tech.
Do you have any recommendations for someone who would like to start their career journey as an engineer, or in computer science in general? Should they go to a boot camp?
Women from different backgrounds are coming to tech. When you have a different background, it is valuable for the tech companies because they need people with new ideas. If you are studying something different from tech, it can help in your career. Don't be afraid that it is too complicated for you. All of us are smart enough to do the things in tech, like coding, we just need to practice. If you have the opportunity to go to a bootcamp, do it. Talk with engineers and listen to them. There are free videos on YouTube, specifically for tech and technical teams. Start and see if you like it. It's interesting to work as an engineer.
What do you love doing outside work?
In my spare time, I like yoga, going to the gym, climbing, hiking, and going outside on the weekend. I like board games with my friends, with my colleagues.
Is there a pro tip that you would like to share?
If you are an engineer, share your story with other people. Even if it doesn't inspire many people, it will raise awareness. Be active in all aspects. We can improve a lot and now is the time. Now we have a role in the tech society.