Caitlin Fitzharris '10 majored in math but did not go on to graduate school, become a math teacher, nor an accountant. Instead, she works as a product manager for AppNexus, a company that finds solutions to spreading online advertisements in the right place for their clients via their innovative applications and platforms.
After graduation, Caitlin first worked as an analyst at ListenLogic, an information strategy startup based in Philadelphia. She then worked as a web analyst at QVC, one of the biggest TV retailers in America before she jumped into the word of Internet advertising.
Caitlin started at AppNexus as an operation analyst. “I love analysis, but I don’t want to sit behind a computer all day long, so I took the opportunity to become a product manager,” Caitlin says about her transition. As a Product Manager, she works with sales, engineers, and business development to find solutions to complicated advertisement problems faced by their clients. She practices her logic, problem solving skills, and the ability to construct and present clear well-supported arguments that she acquired from being a math major. “It was like old times doing problem sets with my classmates,” Caitlin says.
When asked if she has any advice for current math majors, she says, “Don’t be afraid to fail!” As a woman working in the tech industry, she also stresses the importance of networking with other women (especially within the company) and not being afraid to speak up.