Catherine went the "safe" route after high school and earned an industrial engineering degree from USC. When she graduated into a recession, she couldn't find a job, so she decided to pursue a career on the stage. She went on to land roles in several tours and Broadway shows. When she felt the need to get choosier with her performing, she tried working for a startup and was attracted to the way software engineers are in demand and can work on their own terms. Through several starts and stops, including a few more Broadway roles, she completed a coding bootcamp and got started as a software engineer at Stitch Fix. When the pandemic hit, she founded the Slack community Artists Who Code with her husband to empower more artists to find flexible, meaningful work in tech at any stage of their performance career. Learn more at www.artistswhocode.com and follow Catherine @cattricafort.