People-Powered: Jordan Degner, Director, Engineering

Oct 14, 2022

3 Min Read

When someone stays at a company for eight years, there’s a reason. For Jordan Degner, one of Hudl’s engineering directors who started at Hudl as an intern eight years ago, it certainly wasn’t a love of sports.

“I'm not a sports fan,” said Degner. “That was the first thing that I asked when I talked to a recruiter was, ‘Hey, do I have to be a big sports nut to work here?’ They said, ‘No, absolutely not,’ and I'm still here.”

So why the long tenure? For Degner, it’s the opportunities for career growth he’s experienced at Hudl—and being trusted to take them on.

“People always kind of had faith that I was, you know, ready for that next step, ready to take on more. And that's a big thing. That's kept me here, for sure.”

A lot has changed during Degner’s tenure at Hudl, but that level of trust has remained constant. Watch our full interview with him below.

There hasn't been a moment at Hudl where I haven't felt trusted. I think Hudl does a really great job of really pushing people to be autonomous, to do their job well, and gives them the trust that comes along with that.

When you’re trusted from the beginning to do your job well, it can have a big impact. It didn’t take Degner long to realize he wanted to have a similar impact on other people’s careers. He got started on the management track quickly, first by managing interns then progressing up to managing managers.

But just because he has a passion for mentorship doesn’t mean he loves coding any less. That’s one of the reasons he values how management works at Hudl—you don’t have to choose between your craft and being a manager.

“You don't have to step away from the code to manage people,” said Degner. “So that's something that has helped me feel like I wasn't making this choice that was going to bite me in some other way. It was something that I could, you know, build management skills while still being hands on, while still working with the team.”

What else makes Hudl’s engineering team different from others? How Hudl thinks about the product team as a whole. Not a side effect of the business, but one of the company’s priorities. And that’s felt by every product team member, including the engineers. Everyone has a part to play and every part is valued. Which is why there’s such a strong emphasis on feedback and teamwork.

“We have a really strong culture around reviewing each other's work. And we make it a point to be very conscious of how that feedback comes across.”

Every product team squad has an engineering manager, and they work together as a cohesive unit.

“They get to code with those squads and solve problems together, and I think that positions them really well as coaches of those squads, they know exactly the kind of problems that they're running into day to day.”

Even if there wasn’t such a focus on teamwork from the organization, that team mentality might very well bubble up from the work itself.

“We're serving teams. We're serving folks who are all working together to achieve a common goal, whether it's in a sport or building software. So I think a lot of that culture brings itself back into how we're building products and how we're working together.”

When Degner looks back on what’s helped him be successful in his career, the answer’s obvious, though not necessarily easy: learning to say no. It might be second nature to say yes, especially for a young professional who’s just getting started in their career and wants to make a good impression. But that’s exactly when Degner wishes he would’ve known what he knows now—how to say yes to only what deserved it most.

“I think that's advice I would give myself earlier on in my career, just really focusing on the things that you want to become better at and saying yes to the things that help you get there.”

Ready to say yes to a career at Hudl? Check out our open positions at hudl.com/jobs.