Celebrating Women's History Month w/ Courey Elliott

It’s Women’s History Month and we’re celebrating the women who are powering Dutchie’s rise with a series of Q&A posts. Courey Elliott is a Software Engineer III on the API Core team at Dutchie, located in Franklin, Tenn.

What brought you to Dutchie?

Snoop Dogg. No, really. I got an email from a recruiter that mentioned Snoop Dogg. I had been scanning the email and that stopped me in my tracks and I had to go back and really read it. I responded that it was the most interesting recruiter email I had ever gotten and I couldn’t say no to an interview. I thought I would interview till something made me go “nah, this isn’t for me” and it just never happened. I loved every single interview and thought if the interview process was that pleasant, it must be an awesome place to work.

What's something about your Dutchie experience that's different from other places you've worked?

I live in a state that doesn’t have legalized cannabis, so the open weed talk will never get old. I really love it and I have learned so much.

Do you have a favorite Dutchie memory or event?

The Ecstatic Dance Party was AMAZING!!! I went in not knowing what to expect or if I would participate and I had an absolutely magical hour dancing and reveling in the happiness of my fellow coworkers. What an amazing experience!

What would you tell your younger self when you first started your career?

Coding is hard, give yourself some grace. You will fail. A lot. The important part is that you give yourself grace and pick yourself back up and you try again and again and again. Sometimes you have to walk away for a while and let your brain wind down before you can see the solution, but never give up. Fail forward!

What advice would you give to women trying to break into the industry?

It can be hard and unfair sometimes. The important part is not to let that change YOU. Sexism is not a “you” issue, but you will bear the weight of it. Anger, hurt, and frustration are valid responses to sexism. You have to learn how to feel them, self-validate, and then either turn them into actionable items or let them pass. If you hoard them up inside of yourself, it starts to decay and bleeds out of your work life and makes all of you feel miserable. Look for people and places that treat people well and are willing to listen when they are called out. You are worth being treated properly. Speak up, your voice is valuable and your perspective is valid. And finally, find some kick ass women to surround yourself with so you have a passel of strong women to support you.

Fun fact:

I got to tour the factory that makes my powerchair, Permobile. They took my chair to "just give it a check up" and surprise upgraded almost all of it. One of the coolest upgrades is that they gave me a custom dipped skirt (the plastic part around the bottom). The custom dip has only been used for one other person's chair — Stephen Hawking. His was mostly highlights and mine is the whole skirt and they are different models, but I think it's super cool!

Learn about other amazing women at Dutchie!

Sarah Kabakoff

Jordan Castillo

Ashley Long

Alexandra Wehrman

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