Women @ EA Technology

Meet Panda

September 4, 2024

Welcome to the Women @ EA Technology blog series! Get to know the women driving innovation and creativity in the gaming industry as they bring Electronic Arts' blockbuster games to life. We'll share insights and career journeys to inspire others to pursue their passions in technology and game development.

Caption: I'm excited to be in a new (but familiar!) environment, and to be exposed to the most amazing research in video game development.

Profile

• Name - Panda Elliott
• Title - Software Engineer
• Team - Techgrowth - SEED

Number of Years at EA - 3; mostly at Frostbite as a Data Analyst. I joined SEED after a 6-month stint during the Rotational Experience Program, EA's internal job rotation program which enables employees to expand their skill set and network by spending 6 months in a new role with a new team.

Q & A

Tell us about your career journey. How did you come to work at Electronic Arts?

I made the switch to a technical career 6 years ago. Before that, I had studied Health Sciences and worked in Clinical Health, mostly for eye doctors. Although I love the field, being in a very people-facing role was not a great fit for me. I found myself much more drawn to tasks that involved working with computers or machines. I made the decision to go back to school to study Computer Science, with the intention of working in Public Health Technology. During my internships, I worked on applications for visualizing lab result data, and that's how I fell into the world of analytics.

When I graduated, COVID-19 was in full bloom, and there were fewer opportunities available in public health tech. Through my connections at school, I found a great fit on the Frostbite Engine team as a Data Analyst with the UX Team, and I've been here ever since (although I have since changed roles). It's been fun learning an entirely different tech domain and working in a completely different sector.

What challenges or obstacles did you overcome while building your career in tech?

Changing career paths was pretty scary. I felt like I already had a late start in tech, so the impostor syndrome was REAL when I first started. The biggest challenge I have faced while building my career in tech has been finding the confidence to unmute myself and share my thoughts in a group setting. It took a while for me to realize that the skills I built in my previous jobs definitely transferred to my work in tech! Teaching squeamish people how to put in scleral contact lenses has taught me a lot about pivoting in your approach, based on your stakeholder needs. It's all about understanding the problem space, and the desired outcomes. It doesn't matter if you're talking about eyeballs or datatables.

What do you value about working at Electronic Arts?

I like that EA fosters creativity and playfulness. When I joined during the pandemic, we had to be creative in the way we socialized and built our team bonds. I like that I am encouraged to carve time out to draft trivia questions for team building and to host rounds of Jeopardy. No matter where I work, it's important to have people who I'm excited to see or work with when I show up.

Over the past few years, I've gotten more involved with on-campus events and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs.) I destroy invasive plants with my fellow Frosties (the folks who work on Frostbite.) It's really fun to hack away at an invasive holly bush in the middle of the work day with your work pals. It's rewarding to see our progress in Discovery Place. I'm continuing my vendetta against invasive holly in my neighborhood.

Photo caption: Hitting the trails with the Frosties in Discovery Place Conservation Area

I had the opportunity to participate as a panelist in Frostbite x Women's Ultimate Team's WUT Makes a Great Ally event. I received tons of messages from folks at EAV who I'd never met before - a full-circle moment for allyship, when the allies find you. ❤

I am also really excited that EA Vancouver has a SOMOS (Hispanic and Latinx affinity ERG) chapter now! I am still trying to win a SOMOS cookbook at the raffles - the food at the events is so damn good.

Photo caption: Celebrating allyship with the Women's Ultimate Team and Frostbite

Tell us about current or upcoming projects which excite you!

After participating in the Rotational Experience Program with SEED, I had the chance to join their team full-time this past month. I'm excited to be in a new (but familiar!) environment, and to be exposed to the most amazing research in video game development.

I'm also really proud of my involvement with the Procedural Content Community! Working in central tech, I found it really important to find connections with people who use technology to build games. I have been really fortunate to facilitate events for that community and learn about their wizardry.

What advice would you give women looking to start or grow their careers in tech?

It feels super strange to answer this question because I feel like I've only just begun! I think the things that have helped me the most are 1. Finding great allies and champions to support me on my career journey and 2. Trying to believe in myself MORE than my allies do.

Anything else you'd like to share about EA Technology or yourself?

Sometimes I like to tell EA GPT what's in my fridge, and ask it for dinner recipe suggestions. I'm constantly telling it NOT to suggest stir-frys. Prompt engineering is important!

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