Geraldine Zapata didn’t come into DreamHost with a traditional tech background or a long-term plan. She was looking for her next job after her previous role ended, applying to where there’s a fit.
DreamHost almost didn’t make the list.
“I didn’t know anything about web hosting or the company,” Zapata said. “I didn’t even know what a terminal was.”
She applied anyway. And guess what? She got the job anyway.
The rest, as it turns out, wasn’t history. She learned everything from scratch figuring it out as she went, and growing into a role she hadn’t imagined for herself.
Learning on the Fly (and Sticking With It)
Zapata’s first few months weren’t easy and she doesn’t try to pretend otherwise.
“I started trying to survive,” Zapata said. “I didn’t understand a thing.”
She quickly found out there’s no warm-up period in support. Customers show up with real problems, and you’re thrust into it whether you feel ready or not. Zapata had to build context as she went, often already mid-situation, figuring things out on the fly.
It was overwhelming at times, and frustrating at others, but she kept going. Zapata watched how her teammates approached problems, asked questions even when she felt behind, and kept pushing through the moments where nothing made sense. Over time, things started to click.
When Someone Else Sees It First
At that point, Zapata wasn’t thinking about what came next. If anything, she felt like she still had more to learn in her role as a technical support rep. Her managers, however, had a different take.
“They made a profile for me, and said, ‘You would be good doing something else.’” Zapata hesitated. She thought moving into a new role meant starting over again, and she wasn’t sure she was ready.
The response she got back stuck with her: you don’t wait until you know everything. You learn by doing. So, she said yes.
That pattern repeated itself more than once. From Tech Support Rep to Captain, then to Technical Support Project Coordinator. Each step came with the same feeling— like “imposter syndrome” creeping in, she said, like she might be in over her head.
That feeling didn’t turn out to be a warning. It was all part of the process, one challenging step at a time.
The DreamHost People Make it Work
Ask Zapata what helped her grow at DreamHost, and she won’t point to a single tool or training program.
It comes back to the people.
“If you want to learn, people will show you,” she said. “Here, they will teach you, and they will be patient.”
She describes an environment where managers and team leads actively look for potential and push people forward, even when those people aren’t fully convinced themselves.
She’s also seen that same support reflected in the number of strong women across the company. “I haven’t seen any of the women here struggling,” Zapata said. “They are doing it better than anyone else.”
In a field often seen as male-dominated, her experience at DreamHost has been different—open, collaborative, and grounded in sharing knowledge rather than competing for it.
What Her Role Looks Like Now
As a Technical Support Project Coordinator, Zapata works between teams, bridging the gap between development and support. When something changes behind the scenes, whether it’s server upgrades, infrastructure shifts, and product updates, her job is to make sure the support team isn’t caught off guard.
“We need to make sure decisions don’t create problems for support,” Zapata said. “Or at least make sure they’re prepared.”
That usually means documentation, internal guidance, and a lot of coordination. The work isn’t always visible, but it keeps things running smoothly.
For someone who started without knowing all the basics, it’s still a little surprising.
Life Outside of Work (Yes, There Are Pets)
Outside of DreamHost, Zapata’s life is just as full, and just… louder.
She and her husband Jimmy Baquiro—yes, Jimmy also has his own spotlight—have been building their careers side by side for years. When she joined DreamHost in 2021, she helped him prepare to follow, turning evenings into study sessions.
“When the opportunity came again, we were studying like we had classes after work,” Zapata said.
Now they both work at DreamHost, in different areas by design, balancing growth with a healthy “this is my lane, go find yours” approach.
She jokes about it but also not really: “If you fail, we fail.”
At home, things are… busy. Between six cats and four dogs, there’s always something happening, usually loudly and immediately.
“They consume a lot of our freedom,” Zapata laughed. “It’s too demanding.”
Customers, at least, will wait. Their pets won’t.
Somewhere in between all of that, when she finally does get downtime (and the cats decide they’re done supervising), she gravitates toward music and reading, something she’s rediscovered, especially fantasy novels on her Kindle. (Though she’ll be the first to say: Harry Potter isn’t her thing. Yes, really).
Still In It and Not Slowing Down
Zapata doesn’t talk about her career like something she’s finished building. She’s still learning, adjusting, and figuring things out. What she does consider an achievement is simpler.
“Being here for five years and being a coordinator when I didn’t have any idea at the beginning, that’s the achievement.”
There’s no single moment where everything clicked. She shows up, works through it, and gets better over time. Which, it turns out, is a pretty reliable way to build something solid.
Want to work with people like Zapata? Check out our careers page and discover what else makes DreamHost’s culture so special. Next month, we spotlight a master WordPress problem-solver who is also a self-described secret mechanic tackling a hands-on restoration project.