Emme Buentiempo

I think the best way to start here would be to introduce myself a bit. My name is Emme Buentiempo, I have a bachelor's degree in Sociology, and up until recently I've been working as a part of Airbnb's global crisis response team here in Portland. I've worked previously as a customer support specialist in a fast growing tech company in San Francisco, and have worked alongside various probation and parole programs in the Portland metro area as a case manager for sex offenders and drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs. At Airbnb I worked with sensitive subjects such as sex trafficking, homicide, and domestic violence; I would speak directly with survivors to assist them in moments of crisis, and accused parties in order to take actions to protect the Airbnb community.

Given the trajectory of my work history, it makes sense to ask, "Why the change?"

Recently the travel industry has taken a pretty hard hit, and Airbnb was no exception; somewhere near 25% of its workforce was recently let go and my team was a part of that. Given the gravity of this event, I've found myself at a crossroads: Should I continue on with what I've done so far, or should I start down a different road?

I've enjoyed a number of things about the work that I've done so far, and I'm grateful for the opportunities I've received. I've been able to assist and protect various communities, and have truly loved the office cultures working in both Portland and San Francisco tech. My capabilities in being level-headed and calm in high stress environments were never talents I thought I could utilize so much in an office setting, but it has been rewarding to do so. That said, it has its downsides. Time after time I have been a part of a team that has been relocated or re-prioritized; premium support teams aren't seen as integral as others and often find themselves as highly volatile markets to work within, especially with the increasing utilization of contracted teams in other countries.

However, during my time working in tech I've had the pleasure of befriending a number of engineers and have seen the kind of work they do. I think what made the largest impression to me was the way in which this work was performed: Methodical problem solving, text analysis, synthesizing solutions using information from varied sources; in truth these are all elements that I have sought out in whatever work I have done, and have ultimately been some of the most fulfilling parts of projects I have completed. I've always leaned into the operationalization of my work, and in my personal life have gravitated towards hobbies like philosophy for its application of logic to solve issues more traditionally thought of as personal or subjective. Sociology is a perfect example of this; it takes human problems, and through logic and statistical analysis comes to understandings that can then be used to assist people. To me, it makes sense that I could find a lot of satisfaction and meaning out of pursuing a work so akin to what I already love.

During the last few years I've taken some interest in learning more about coding for fun, and have spent a little time tinkering with a terminal or two. I've thoroughly enjoyed following a number of developers on Twitter, and while reading discussions over projects they are working on I have often daydreamed about my own chance to delve deeper into their world. At one point I picked up "Learn Python the Hard Way", and I've taught myself enough MySQL to pull the data I needed for various small work projects along the way. All together nothing to write home about, but what I've seen so far has only made me more interested.

I think there is a clear alignment between some of the best parts of coding and the best parts of myself, and I'm excited to finally have the opportunity to seriously pursue that connection. I hope you can see that excitement in the projects highlighted on this page. In the meantime, here's a few fun facts about myself: