total jobs On InformationTechnologyCrossing

269,836

new jobs this week On InformationTechnologyCrossing

18,410

total jobs on EmploymentCrossing network available to our members

1,478,350

job type count

On InformationTechnologyCrossing

Itzbig's Techie Star: Lana Moore

1 Views      
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.
Lana Moore is the director of product management for itzbig, a newly launched recruiting website which matches technology professionals with employers in the technology industry.

Lana started her career in the tech industry in the early ’90s when she says her sister convinced her that “a trained platypus could do what she was doing as an intern for GE Nuclear.” At the time, her sister was developing the company’s corporate intranet. Lana became fascinated by her sister’s descriptions of the applications she was writing, and from that point on, there was no looking back.

One of the catalysts which propelled Lana into the technology industry was her desire to work from home. As a single parent, it was very important to her that she be able to provide for her son while still making sure she was available to him throughout the day. She borrowed a spare computer from some friends and began to learn different programming languages and graphic programs. Though her background was primarily in business administration and psychology, she was always looking for innovative ways to make tasks more accessible and simple to complete with the help of technology.



She found her niche when a senior programmer presented her with a choice: she could work either on the code of an application or on its visual design, but not both. This proved to be a triumphant milestone in Lana’s career: not one to be bogged down by restrictions or naysayers, she decided she would create applications which were not only easy to use and utilized the most-advanced technology available, but which were artful and aesthetically inventive as well.

There have, of course, been challenges throughout her career. As a young woman of Hawaiian heritage, she has had to confront stereotypes and assumptions about both her gender and race. She offers the following anecdote: “I’m a gadget freak. My dream home is one that allows me to dock my computer at the front door, and it controls everything in my house: my TV turns on to the channel I want to watch, my elliptical machine turns on and is preset, the oven starts preheating to the temperature based on what I’m going to eat for dinner, and the exact groceries are even delivered by an online grocer. This is all controlled simply with an interface that asked me about my mode while I was at work earlier in the day. So why then, when I go to an electronics store to help my guy friends with their computer or electronics purchases, is it assumed that I know nothing about computers or technology? It makes me laugh every time. I think the biggest challenge for minorities is to overcome the perception or assumption that you’re not technically capable. Overcoming assumptions takes patience, a sense of humor, humility, and self-confidence… and then more patience.”

Q. What do you do for fun?
A. I play women’s volleyball competitively and, as soon as things aren’t so busy with startup life, hope to go back to coaching. I love home and landscape design—and can be such the nerd when “envisioning” what certain changes might look like. For example, I downloaded Google SketchUp and worked through the beta trials just to see what my bathroom would look like remodeled.

Q. What CD is in your CD player right now?
A. I’m not sure what I have in my CD player. I’m not sure I own a CD player…. I have all of my tunes on my iPod. My song choices vary. I like everything from classical (I played the violin for a good portion of my life) to jazz, Hawaiian, pop and R&B. I’ll listen to “radio rap,” but nothing more hardcore than that. I’m in Texas, so I’m just getting used to country music. I think it’s an acquired taste.

Q. What is the last magazine you read?
A. In Style. The whole Brad ‘n Angelina thing is juicy.

Q. What is your favorite TV show?
A. I have a few favorites but nothing I watch religiously every week. These include House, Shark, and Lost. My son and I also like to watch Planet Earth and Survivorman.

Q. Who is your role model?
A. The only person right now that comes to mind is Tony Dungy. Like the music and entertainment industry, it’s so easy to get caught up in what is wrong in sports. Tony Dungy is respectful of others and is always a class act. This is evident in the respect that he is shown from his players, as well as from other coaches and the NFL community

Lana recalls that in the past, opinions of male techies dominated the content of technology user groups, forums, message boards, online articles, and blogs. In recent years, however, she has witnessed increased female presence on technology websites. The last decade has seen an upswing in the number of female technology professionals who have left their marks on the industry. Despite the growing influence of organizations like Women In Technology International (WITI), Lana has never relied on a professional organization to help advance her career as a female in the technology industry. She believes that landing a job should be contingent on one’s talents and the employer’s needs, not on one’s gender or race. Still, she feels that networking through academic and professional organizations like WITI is always a good idea.

The high point of Lana’s career is her where she is right now. At itzbig, she’s been given the opportunity to do what she does best: solving market needs through technology. What excites her most about her job is the continuous advancement: learning about the latest technologies, cutting-edge approaches in her field, and pioneering web solutions. Now, with over 12 years of online application experience, she has overseen the user and customer experience for several Fortune 20 companies, including MyDocOnline (Aventis Pharmaceuticals), Hire.com, Verizon, and EDS (Navy Marine Corps Intranet). Throughout her career she has also been a relentless advocate for web standards and agile user-centered design. Through her innovation and design, she has also been the recipient of a number of industry awards, including HR Magazine’s Product of the Year. Constantly in search of development and reinventions, Lana is committed to making technology as practical and convenient as possible for all its users.
If this article has helped you in some way, will you say thanks by sharing it through a share, like, a link, or an email to someone you think would appreciate the reference.

Popular tags:

 applications  psychology  message boards  industry  management  gadgets  employers  Navy Marine Corps Intranet  patience  business administration


I like the volume of jobs on EmploymentCrossing. The quality of jobs is also good. Plus, they get refreshed very often. Great work!
Roberto D - Seattle, WA
  • All we do is research jobs.
  • Our team of researchers, programmers, and analysts find you jobs from over 1,000 career pages and other sources
  • Our members get more interviews and jobs than people who use "public job boards"
Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it, you will land among the stars.
InformationTechnologyCrossing - #1 Job Aggregation and Private Job-Opening Research Service — The Most Quality Jobs Anywhere
InformationTechnologyCrossing is the first job consolidation service in the employment industry to seek to include every job that exists in the world.
Copyright © 2024 InformationTechnologyCrossing - All rights reserved. 169