Karen Painter, VP of Technology, Turner Broadcasting
Interview with Karen Painter
- What path or events led you to a career in information technology? When I was applying for college, I needed to declare a major and since I had always excelled at math and was good at solving puzzles, my parents recommended that I major in computer science. It was a wise choice. I guess it’s true – sometime parents really do know what’s best for their kids.
- What do you feel is the greatest challenge a women executive faces in the technology marketplace? Women executives don’t receive as many invitations to play golf as male executives.
- What is the best piece of advice that you can give a recent college graduate entering the field of technology? There is a large and ever increasing variety of jobs available in the rapidly evolving field of technology. I think that the best advice I could give is to not be afraid of change – to embrace it. If a recent graduate is willing to try different things, to learn new skills and tools, they can have an exciting career – in any technology driven industry.
- What do you like most about living in Atlanta? I love the diversity. I’ve met so many wonderful people from a wide array of cultures, backgrounds and lifestyles. There are so many different things to do, see and eat that life in Atlanta is never boring. There are so many choices of things to do in the evening – take in a baseball game, attend a play or watch a concert under the stars or go to one of the hundreds of good restaurants. On weekends I can bike ride, cut hay on my tractor, go rafting, shoot skeet, take in a day at the zoo, or play golf all within an hour’s drive from Atlanta. I have done all of these things and more.
- What hobbies do you enjoy in your spare time? Prior to having children, I used to enjoy adrenaline intense hobbies such as motorcycle riding and jumping out of airplanes. Now I have two wonderful children, and a husband who insists that he doesn’t want to raise them alone so I have graduated to less intense hobbies like golf, bike riding, golf, working and playing on my 100 acre farm with my husband, kids and dogs, and, of course, golf.
