People of EA - Dana

Interested in pursuing a career at EA? Read about Development Director, Dana, and how EA Romania has given her a great platform for professional growth.

Fast Facts:

• Name: Dana Carcota
• Title: Development Director
• Organization: EA Sports - FIFA
• Location: Bucharest

Background

Career planning or vocational counseling wasn’t really a thing in post-communist Romania so, as a fresh high school graduate, what I knew for sure was that I didn’t want to go for any of the “real jobs” (as they were perceived back then) that most of the adults around me did. I wanted something that would be challenging, fun and creative and, most importantly, that would involve interacting with people to a high extent. A few years later, with a degree in psychology and one in communication, but still unable to clearly articulate how the ideal job would look like for me, I started my journey and tried different roles in Public Relations and HR, until I was finally offered the opportunity to take on a Project Management role for a software development company. After almost 8 years of doing this job, I can safely say that for me it brings the right ingredients to the mix and is the perfect combination between the things that motivate me the most: contributing to creating meaningful/impactful experiences and working with people.

Getting your start with EA

I joined EA almost three years ago, looking for an opportunity to experience a management role within a product focused company, but also hoping to get away from the rather rigid environment I was used to in project management consultancy.

I knew little about gaming (only occasionally played Plants vs. Zombies or Need for Speed with friends), but I had always been fascinated about this industry and wondered how awesome it must be to work with all those creative people building amazing experiences for millions around the globe.

I went to the interview for a Project Manager role on FIFA more out of curiosity, being convinced that I didn’t have the necessary background to work in the industry. I remember I was immediately impressed by the complexity of the entire development process but, what struck me the most, was the passion of the people sitting in front of me and how easy and fun doing the job they loved seemed to be for them. I immediately knew it was something I wanted to be part of and I was extremely excited when I was offered the job.

Working at EA

I’m currently managing a team of Software Engineers and Artists developing FIFA ULTIMATE TEAM in our Bucharest Studio. I am super proud to contribute to the biggest gaming experience in the world.

Working in such a dynamic industry never gets boring, and although it’s not always easy and we have our challenges and difficult moments, being a part of this amazingly, talented and passionate group of team members and learning so many things along the way makes it always fun. Perks are great, the working space is awesome, but the best thing about EA is this incredible team I get to work with around the clock in our worldwide studios to create the best games for our players.

After three years, I can say that EA is an amazing place to work. After all, imagine coming to work every day knowing that you really love what you do!

What is it like being a woman in gaming with EA

Although women represent a considerable percent of video game consumers worldwide, there’s still this persisting stereotype that the industry and its main audience are skewed towards men. Because of this and the fact that I don’t have a background in tech or art, I must say I had my share of doubts about fitting in when I first decided to join EA. I immediately realized that what I have in common with all the amazing people I’m surrounded by is a contagious passion for building the best games and experiences for our players. Working at EA is not about adjusting or fitting in, but about belonging to this incredible family and bringing your unique perspective to the mix.

How do you think EA supports initiatives that support women in the field

EA offers a great platform for promoting women and gender diversity. Our Employee Resource Group dedicated to women has more than 20 chapters in our locations around the world. These groups are actively engaged in creating a community of women and making EA an inclusive and diverse workplace by providing networking opportunities, creating development programs, and supporting outreach initiatives that serve women’s causes. Also, there are countless career progression and mentoring opportunities dedicated to women, internships for students, and summer school programs teaching little girls to code and build their own games.

Our male colleagues are championing all these initiatives and are involved in driving the difficult conversations that need to happen to fight bias and challenge stereotypes.

EA’s Impact

EA is a great environment for professional growth regardless of the area you’re interested in and working on FIFA for the past years has given me countless opportunities to learn and evolve. Here I have some amazing friends and mentors that support me in my development and guide me in taking the best decisions for my career.

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