Sandra Moerch

There's a time to bloom where you're planted, and there's a time to go to grow. I think that's really important - don't try to stay in a place where you feel like you're stagnant, or where you feel like you're not going to be able to grow. Don't be scared to take a leap, because sometimes the only mode of transportation that you have is the leap of faith. This quote has really stuck with me, and I think it's important to consider throughout your career and kind of pause and be like, am I in the right place at the right time right now, or should I be looking to go somewhere else to get that growth, or to get that ambition that I need, out of my system.

Be opportunistic and really open-minded, especially take advantage of those college years or school years, wherever you are in your learning journey. Join communities where you gain a lot of exposure and insight into how businesses work, especially if you want to build a corporate career. I joined a couple of Microsoft hackathons early on in my college career, and that gave me just a lot of exposure, and the network and the connections that I needed to build my next step into the workforce. For women that are just getting started, really take advantage of the freedom that you have before you get too established. I was able to, in my first 5 years at SAP, live in 3 different countries and go on assignments all over the world, and have that flexibility of just being able to say yes to more things and be more open to different types of opportunities, and not be very closed-minded about my skill set, or my location even. I think that really served me well long-term. I was able to build a really great global foundation for my career because of that. And always stay true to yourself. I always start all my emails with aloha, and I did have some senior colleagues in my early career tell me I shouldn't start my emails with Aloha, it's not professional, or I shouldn't use emojis, or all these things that make you you. I just respectfully said thank you for the advice, but I'm gonna do what I think is the right thing for me to do. Some feedback is a gift, and some feedback it's okay to let go of. You don't have to take all feedback in, it's okay to just be true to yourself and your own values. Have a filter for your feedback early on, because you can be molded into so many things. Just remember that you're great the way that you are.

For the education segment and for students particularly, the rise of AI can definitely be intimidating for young people, given that AI has been catching a lot of market share when it comes to entry-level tasks and entry-level assignments. But I think the students that are really upskilling themselves on AI tools and becoming proficient in how to use them as their superpower, they will really be able to hit the ground running when they graduate. There's also an increased focus on having skills that are more hands-on. I think Autodesk technology is a great example of the trades regaining a lot of popularity. We cater to a lot of architecture and construction, product design and engineering and manufacturing - they use a lot of 3D modeling software. We're seeing a huge rise within those industries because AI can definitely play a role in building out efficiencies and advancing what we can do within those industries, but you still need the human power behind actually executing on the jobs within those industries.

Sustainability has always been at the heart of everything that I do. It's actually tied really closely to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - it's just about doing good for people and the planet. Working with companies, and with customers, and working for a company too that embraces those values is really, really important to me. Diversity, equity, and inclusion is a big part. Equality for all is goal number 5 within that framework. And then, of course, sustainability and climate action is also extremely important, and something that at Autodesk we have a huge opportunity to play a big role in. The way that people use our technology ends up manufacturing things, whether it's producing an entire building or producing a single product. That has an impact or an implication on the environment, so our technology can help inform and advise what type of materials and what type of sustainable efficiencies can go into the process of actually building those out. I feel really proud working for a company that actually can make a tangible impact when it comes to these types of things.