Dayna Cassidy

Background

About Dayna Cassidy

I'm a problem solver.First, this manifested creatively. The problem to solve was how to get the story in my imagination onto the paper in front of me. How to write it in a way that made my readers feel what I wanted them to feel. Then, it was Science. Balancing chemical formulas, finding the cleanest solution to a physics problem, using Punnet squares to determine the likelihood that my future child will be colour-blind based on so many variables that it took up multiple pages of my bio workbook. I loved them all.When I couldn't choose between all the marvelous sciences, my undergraduate advisor suggested I try a course in each of them. This is how I discovered the Field of Problem Solving. Computing was a problem-solvers dream. Suddenly, I was using code to persuade computers to do what I said. It was impossible, exhausting, heart-breaking, and magnificently exhilarating when it worked. Over the course of my undergrad, I programmed AIs, created interactive and engaging web pages, and developed video games (some of which were even fun). It was at Serious Labs that my love for solving problems expanded yet again. I discovered a passion for management and organization. Gradually, it became my job to enable other people to most effectively do their jobs. The problems I was facing were impossible to understand but so important and their solutions were subtle but powerful, and oh so rewarding.I've found success by seeking out and driving experimentation and by encouraging open, honest feedback to help myself and the people on my team grow. The most effective developers are those that are happy and empowered and it's my job to foster that culture and to do what I can to turn my team into its best and most productive self.