Meet Anna
A former graphic designer, Anna received an opportunity to take Pega training classes after graduating from university and never looked back! She now serves as the Platform Lead at Merkle’s office in Barcelona. Anna enjoys leading development teams in Agile environments while continuing to expand her knowledge of DevOps and Continuous Delivery on the Pega platform.
Anna Buchanan
Platform Lead
Barcelona, Spain
Alma Mater
De Montfort University
Dream Vacation
Japan
Favorite Band
Florence & The Machine (but it’s really hard to pick just one)
Career Objectives
My dream job is to lead a Pega application development practice so that I can find new and interesting ways to be innovative on the Pega platform
Let’s begin with the story of your Pega journey - What motivated you to learn how to use the Pega platform?
I graduated during the global recession and was struggling to find a job in graphic design. A career in software was always of interest to me and I studied alongside two part-time jobs in order to be given a training opportunity in Pega. I was told straight away that there would only be job opportunities available to me if I could pass all of the required Pega exams within the training period. I was one of four people in my training program who became certified CSA’s within a month. After going through the process I ended up at HMRC in the UK developing large-scale tax avoidance software.
How has Pega shaped or impacted your career?
Pega gave me the chance to build a career where before I couldn't even get an unpaid apprenticeship in graphic design. Within two years, I became the Pega technical lead of my company and now have a thriving career.
"I was one of four people in my training program who became certified CSA’s within a month... Within two years, I became the Pega technical lead of my company and now have a thriving career."
As a Pega developer, what accomplishment are you most proud of?
I am most proud of the amazing software I have been able to deliver to my clients. My last project allowed me to deliver two case management systems with minimal bugs at launch and there was only one other person on my team working with me.
What message or advice would you give to anyone who is considering a career as a Pega Developer?
Once you are trained in Pega, you will always be in demand and will always be able to earn a living. Stay motivated once you receive your certification and always continue to learn so that you have the opportunity to take on the best projects and see the world.
"Once you are trained in Pega, you will always be in demand and will always be able to earn a living."