A Technology ‘Architect’ At the Heart of Priceline

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The New York Sun

When Angela Jamerson decided to move to New York from her native San Francisco 12 years ago, she wasn’t sure how her parents would react to the fact that their only daughter would live a continent away.


Her father, Lafayette, a building contractor, said, with a mischievous smile, “I guess that means you’re going to need a ride to the airport.”


Her mother, Judy, an artist, seemed slightly more anxious, which was understandable considering that Angela had no clue as to what she’d do in New York.


“I didn’t have a job lined up,” Ms. Jamerson said. “But I had studied dance and computers, and New York was where the bright lights were. Maybe I was naive, but I was also ambitious.”


She found her metier in Internet technology. Ms. Jamerson is now the senior data architect at Priceline.com. Her job, Ms. Jamerson said, “is at the very heartbeat” of the company. That means ensuring that Priceline’s data is organized and structured for accuracy, efficiency, and integrity. It means data modeling. It also entails writing programs in computer languages that are known mostly by their acronyms, such as HTML, ASP, SQL, and PLSQL.


“Being in computers is actually very hip and lots of fun,” she said.


Ms. Jamerson paused to reflect.


“Well,” she continued, “but I must admit that when you’re an IT professional, your social skills can take a dive. You think in bytes. You tend to indulge in humor that only other geeks can understand because you’re always surrounded by geeks and machines.”


So how does she relax?


“I go to India to deepen my knowledge of yoga,” she said. “Yoga has helped me to be disciplined and patient. It generates energy within me.”


Yoga, which she practices and teaches to friends in Connecticut and New York, gives her the serenity of a swami.


“My job requires me to stay well grounded – but meditation does help to stay calm,” she said.


Staying calm is a job prerequisite. Priceline is an Internet company that relies on technological solutions to offer airline tickets, rental cars, hotel accommodations, and vacation packages. It also markets home mortgages, refinancing, and home-equity loans through an independent licensee.


The company, which was founded in 1998, said on Wednesday that gross travel bookings for the quarter ending September 30 were $611.1 million, a 40.4% increase over the same period a year ago. Revenues in the third quarter were $258.8 million, compared to $235.9 million a year ago, a 9.7% increase. Priceline’s revenues in 2004 were $914.4 million.


Any regrets about leaving California?


“I’ll be a Californian at heart,” Ms. Jamerson said. “But you can’t beat the buzz of New York.”


The New York Sun

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