Darika Cease

Darika Cease is acting chief of infrastructure and engineering in the division of information resources and technology at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia. She has been an information technology professional with the agency since 2006.

What she loves about the job:

“Every day, I'm engaging with customers who sprinkle a little knowledge and joy into my life. We definitely have some outgoing and hilarious people working for us, and their stories bring me so much joy.”



What’s most interesting and rewarding about it:

“There’s never a dull moment. Anything that could go wrong or right in IT just may. Keeps you on your toes. The most rewarding part is knowing that I keep hard-working people in the field working. The mission cannot be achieved without the behind-the-scenes contributions of IT.”



What’s most challenging about it:

“New apps and services are created every day. There's this crunch time to figure out how they work, what they do, etc., before customers find out about them and start asking questions.”



Skills you must have to succeed at it:

“Great customer service skills first and foremost. You also have to be willing and able to adapt at any moment to change.”



Animal she identifies with:

“Tiger. I think I have some of the primal instincts and confidence of a tiger. I'm also super passionate and full of energy. These traits help me to evolve to the ever-changing environment of IT.” 



To find available IT-related jobs, go to USAJobs.gov. Search “2210” and/or “information technology.” Filter by “U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service” or “Department of the Interior.” The job requires specialized IT-related experience. Details about experience and education requirements.