Not many people can say that they had a first job like “corn cop,” but that’s exactly where Fitbit‘s Tracy Giest got her start. Now, the manager of R&D operations at the fitness tracking company, Giest is basically a total boss—she’s also a literal boss, overseeing a team of people whose job it is to make Fitbit the best it can possibly be. We chatted about her unorthodox career path (she also worked for Teach for America and a railroad company), the management advice she thinks you need, and how she finds the time to take care of herself (hint: it helps to work for a company like Fitbit).
What was your first job, and how did you land it?
My first job was at a corn maze in south central Pennsylvania when I was 14. My mother knew the woman who owned the maze, and I’ll never forget her driving me to the farm to speak with her for my first ever interview. I was…
