Brenna Jobe, Receptionist at Pointwise.

I have an appreciation for the math and engineering behind grid generation. My love of math and engineering came from my dad, Pop. When I was four, my mom moved my sister and me to Texas from Georgia to live with our new dad. He is a mechanical engineer and that made for interesting math homework discussions. I learned quickly how to interpret his tech speak into regular math steps that my mom could help my little sister translate into 2nd grade basics. This dynamic allowed me to foster a passion for teaching that The University of Texas at Arlington helped me turn into a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a grade 4-8 Math/Science certification. Though my true “nerd-heart,” as my mother so lovingly calls it, is to teach math, I taught three years of high school Biology in Arlington.

After dealing with freshmen for that long I was ready for a change. My then-boyfriend-now-husband, Chris Jobe, told me about Pointwise having a position open at the front desk. I shortly thereafter met with Rose Mary and Carrie. I started working here in August and have only just recently truly figured out what meshing is and why it is so awesome!

• Location: Fort Worth
• Current position: Receptionist
• Current computer: Dell Vostro 460, Intel Core i5-2400 3.10 GHz, 6 GB RAM, Windows 8.1
• One word that best describes how you work: Creatively

What software or tools do you use every day?

I use Microsoft Office products religiously (including, but not limited to, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel). I have found that Google Docs and Forms are helpful in my position to keep up with some of the housekeeping information I need to keep the office stocked with snacks and the correct extensions on business cards. I am also starting to rely on the Outlook calendar to keep me from sending calls to someone who is out of the office. The new phone system also has a neat feature that allows me to keep track of who is available in the office to take a call. The Spark chat program allows me to do the same thing but lets me communicate with a coworker in a less disruptive way.

What does your workspace look like?

Brenna’s current workspace.

Some of the tasks that I execute throughout my day take a lot of space so I have a three-sided desk and an extra credenza that I try to keep cleared off as much as I can. My goldfish Tervis cup is the only personal item on my desk but its super cheerful. Because I am the first person most visitors see I am trying very hard to keep my space looking professional.

I do have an entire wall of windows that overlook the parking lot. Including the sunroof above my head, I get lots of sunshine, my favorite!

What are you currently working on?

As part of the Business and Administrative Services team, I am able to participate in many different projects. I am currently training with the support team how to enter students into our Pointwise and Glyph training registration program, also I am working with the sales team on processing the leads that result from our awesome webinars. I am also in charge of keeping the office supplies and the snacks for staff in stock and available. Oh, and the phones! I answer the phones and help direct callers to the person that can best assist them.

What would you say is your specialty at Pointwise?

I am a friendly face that greets all with a kind word and a sunny smile.

Any tips, tricks, or advice for our users?

Check out our YouTube channel. In addition to our staff posting videos, a few of our customers and software partners have participated in our webinars and demonstrate how they use Pointwise for their applications.

What project are you most proud of and why?

I was able to use my teacher background and prepare the materials for the staff instructor of the Glyph training, Claudio, in a way that cut down on the confusion of having several different handouts. As I was printing the exercises I noticed that I was keeping separate stacks for the problems and for the answers and that I was color coding them for my own peace of mind and I thought that Claudio might appreciate this as well. The result was a pocket file folder with each exercise and solution separated with a divider that corresponded to the color coded table of contents attached to the front and a space in the back for an instructor copy of the handbook that each trainee was given.
This made things much easier for Claudio during the training. He knew exactly which stack of pages to hand out when, and no one got the answer before they could attempt to work out the scenario. The trainees raved about the amount of time they had to practice what they were learning. My inner teacher beamed upon hearing this.

Have you recently read any books or articles we should know about?

I just finished reading the latest installment in the Stephanie Plum series of novels by my favorite author Janet Evanovich. I have also started to re-read the Harry Potter series of novels. I like to get lost in another world for a while.

What do you do when you’re not surrounded by engineers making meshes?

My husband, Chris, and I love to be outdoors, or relaxing watching TV. Basically, anything that we can do together is a good time. We play board games, watch sci-fi shows, play Rock Band, and we like to hang out in our backyard. We just bought a hot tub so we watch movies projected onto the second story of our house while we relax in the tub.

What is some of the best advice you’ve received?

The best advice has come from Ellen DeGeneres when she voiced a cartoon fish named Dory in the movie Finding Nemo.

“Just keep swimming.”

This was the motto for my graduating class in college and has really helped me navigate the rapids of life since then. As long as I just keep trying, keep moving, keep hope, I can do anything. Life is not always a smooth path but you have to keep going to get to the good stuff.

If you had to pick a place to have dinner, where would you go?

I love food. Mexican food is my favorite but if I had to pick ONE place…I would pick Babe’s Chicken. They have the best side dishes, family-style and they keep them coming, that pairs fabulously with any of their main dish options. I highly recommend the chicken fried steak or the hickory smoked chicken.