There's an old quote by Marian Wright Edelman about representation that goes... "You can't be what you can't see."
Lack of representation in many industries - including tech and buildings - is one of many reasons why there are still serious gender gaps in male dominated industries. We want to shine a light on the women who make magic happen behind the scenes here at J2. We asked them to share a little bit about their journey into the industry and advice they'd give their younger selves.
Ioana has been with J2 Innovations for 11 years, starting as a Quality Engineer and moving up from there. She is now our Director of Quality & Testing and Global Head of Strategy, ensuring our software does what it is expected to do. Read more about her role and work here.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
"I was torn between arts and mathematics. The art of math won."
What sparked your decision to join the tech industry?
"Its practicality and connection to the real world impact."
What advice would you give yourself starting out?
"Smart work pays off, so don't give up on your dreams. There is no failure, only lessons learned."
Sarah has worked at J2 for six years as a Software Developer Engineer on our Glue Team (Professional Services). Sarah works directly with customers to design and develop various solutions to fit their needs. These typically include dashboards, wizards, and components (check out her work on FIN microBMS here).
What did you want to be when you were younger?
"When I was younger, I wanted to be an artist. Now as a UI Developer, I still get to use my artistic ability to design pages for our software."
What sparked your decision to join the tech industry?
"Growing up I always had an interest in technology. In high school I took a basic web development class and learned HTML/CSS/JavaScript and was really interested in learning more."
What advice would you give yourself starting out?
"The advice I would give myself, or any young woman starting in tech is to use your voice and never stop learning."
Greta has worked at J2 for a year as a Software Developer on the Italian Glue Team.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
"A physiotherapist."
What sparked your decision to join the tech industry?
"I liked “playing” with my computer, especially with photo editors, and my dad was a system engineer."
What advice would you give yourself starting out?
"Never stop learning and discovering."
Joanna joined J2 last year as our Global Marketing Manager and has already been making an impact. She works with the team across the whole organization to leverage communication with our internal and external stakeholders.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
"I've always been an arts & science type of person. So apart from the standard 'I want to be a doctor, a lawyer, or entrepreneur,' I was also into art subjects, and my dream was to be an actress. As a child, I used to collect flyers and posters, which can explain my interest in marketing!"
What sparked your decision to join the tech industry?
"I believe technology plays a significant role in enabling our generation to improve health, reduce carbon emissions, save energy, and positively impact our environment. If there is a better way, we should embrace it; technology can help us achieve that, and I want to be part of it!"
What advice would you give yourself starting out?
"Your power lies in your true nature- explore and be brave!’ - I keep saying this to my daughter now, and she is definitely taking advantage of it, maybe a little too much!"
It's so important that more women doing work in our industry are seen and celebrated so that we can inspire the next generation of innovative young women to join us and help evolve the industry.
Topics from this blog: Company Life
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