Jobs That Make a Difference: Joshua Huber
At Cengage, our mission-driven culture creates jobs that make a difference in the lives of learners. Working here means having a direct impact by helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. From Senior Product Marketing Managers to Principal Brand Designers our people help give learners the choice in how, where and what they learn.
We spoke with Joshua Huber, Senior Software Engineer, about why he is passionate about the intersection of education and technology and improving learning experiences for students.
How does your role and the work you do help students and teachers?
As a Senior Software Engineer, I build the higher education digital platforms that our students and teachers use daily. Behind the scenes, engineering teams bring our product vision to life. When students and teachers use our platforms and things just work, it means engineers have ensured our platforms are reliable, performant, accurate, secure, and accessible. As we build products using new technologies, I also help ensure that what we create is feasible and cost-effective.
What is something you're proud of that has impacted learners?
One thing I’m especially proud of is the work to modernize our technology systems. Before modernizing, it would take longer to get improvements into the hands of learners. By bringing our systems up to modern standards, they are more resilient, and the bigger gain is that we can deliver new features and experiences more rapidly than ever before.
What motivated you to work at Cengage and in edtech?
The work at Cengage is meaningful and purpose-driven. Education and learning are special to me since I was formerly a teacher before switching careers into technology. Working in edtech sits at the intersection of learning and innovation.
I’ve stayed at Cengage because of the people. Throughout my time here, I’ve worked with capable, creative, and supportive colleagues. So many people at Cengage are passionate about improving learning experiences for students. The cross-functional collaboration is also a highlight, and discussions often welcome perspectives from people with different skills and roles.
In what ways have the opportunities at Cengage contributed to your career growth?
At Cengage, I can always count on new and interesting challenges. This is my tenth year here, and no two years have been the same. I’ve gained new skills through both formal training and hands-on experience with new technologies required by projects.
Taking on a lead role in high-visibility projects has helped me grow, and becoming a subject matter expert, along with creating documentation and reusable processes, has strengthened my communication and leadership skills.
As a remote employee, can you share a bit more about your experience?
Transitioning from in-person to fully remote in 2020 was an adjustment, but it is now hard to imagine working in person again. Our teams are geographically distributed across the U.S. and beyond, so collaboration spans time zones. Communicating effectively through video calls and Slack is essential.
The flexibility of remote work, especially when it comes to taking care of family, is a huge benefit. That said, I do sometimes miss spontaneous hallway or water cooler conversations that can spark new ideas.
Why is continuous learning important?
The world is changing faster than ever. Career readiness is not something that can be achieved just once, it is ongoing. In technology especially, things evolve at an incredible pace, and skills can become obsolete within years or even months.
We are also at the beginning of a major shift with generative and agentic AI. Being a critical thinker and a curious problem solver is more important than ever. At Cengage, it is clear that continuous learning is valued, and colleagues are eager to share knowledge and help each other grow.
Learn more:
Cengage employees make an impact and change the world. Here, transparency and collaboration are core values. We provide challenging careers, competitive benefits, a strong technology focus and a great team of co-workers and customers.
To learn more and apply for an open role, visit the careers section of our website.