Women in IT

Our marketing and recruitment colleagues took over the reins for this article. The girls decided to ask questions of other women working in IT, as they find themselves in this specific industry largely dominated by men. We encourage you to read the article especially male programmers, because the statements of girls will certainly allow you to look at your daily work from a different perspective, more beautiful.

Dorota, C++ Programmer

Dorota, you will tell us how your IT career began and why you bet on this industry?

I’ve always had good science, so my parents urged me to go to the polytechnic, so actually the choice was clear to me from the beginning. In the years when I chose studies, automation and robotics in the electronic department seemed the most interesting option. The next most financially sensible choice after college was programming – and I’m in that place anyway.

What makes you the most fun at work and what demotes you?

The solution to the problem that you need to think about a little and it is not about the first better ones, which will work, but simple and understandable. For this cool as what I do is part of something that I think matters and helps people – it gives satisfaction. Even searching for bugs and solving them, if they are interesting – but to solve, because sitting for a long time without success over some bug, especially if chasing deadlines, can be very demotivating. What else is demotative? The feeling that the work you do brings nothing is completely useless to anyone, and in addition it is boring and repetitive, there are no challenges. The boring and repetitive itself will still sometimes go, if it is a temporary task that someone has to do anyway in a pretty good project. However, if the latter is also weak, it is more time to change the design.

Do you agree with the widely accepted view that IT is a male-dominated industry?

Yes, but for the vast majority not because men block women’s access to different positions, whether they treat them worse and thus girls give up on their own, but because few women wanted to do it or learn it. How many women are in science in college? For me for a year it was 2%, but the standard was probably about 15%, it seems to me that hence these disparities in the profession. I do not know, maybe girls are less often encouraged to choose such studies.

How do you find yourself in this environment?

I find myself pretty good because the vast majority of people I meet don’t have stereotypes and don’t treat me worse because of gender, even though I think girls have forums on job interviews. In general, I think that girls are treated a little relieved, I do not mean to perform their duties. Every person sometimes needs help – you know, you can’t be an expert on everything – and then even the most introverted colleagues are more willing to help the girl. Of course, it works both ways, most girls are aware of this favoritism, and It seems to me that they may be a little less confident and their skills, less likely to stand by their sentence in a technical discussion.

Would you recommend to other women the career path you chose? If Yes, how should they start? Any suggestions?

I would recommend such a path to anyone who corresponds to this type of work – a lot of course depends on the project to which it will go, some fit more, others less, but just in this industry you can not complain about the inability to change the design (or work). How do I get started? Probably it is worth choosing some courses, certainly those that give a lot of practice, and not only those that allow you to know the programming language itself, but also some hooking on the algorithm.

Monika, Office Manager

You’re a superhero for developers because you care about everything that makes the office work well – how do you rate working with them? Are they obedient, eccentric, or ignorant?

To say I’m a superhero is probably too much. 🙂 Contrary to appearances and all stereotypes, „a programmer is not as bad as you draw it”. That’s right – sometimes it’s hard, but I think it’s a matter of habit and a high dose of tolerance. Coming to the company I do not hide I was terrified, because I heard a lot of strange things about programmers and for this there were still ideas from the series. It turned out that the programmer too man just a little more complicated. At first I was very surprised at how helpful and normal they are. Well, but good … Les not to be that I just praise them – it is from the negatives I can say that they are very spoiled by the labour market. In no other company have I encountered such working conditions, which sometimes results in complaining from them that, for example, there is no favorite tea or there was not enough bread at breakfast. It seems to me that you have to have a way on them and not give yourself to get on your head, because people working in IT are a bit like big children, so sometimes you have to shout and everything is okay again. I was also very surprised that they treated me as equals because I previously thought they would treat me in advance, and that’s not the case at all. Even it often happens that they come to me for advice, or talk about completely technical matters. I do not always understand what they are talking about to me, but then there is no problem either because from the vending machine they switch to a language that everyone understands.

What are the strangest developer habits you’ve encountered?

As for customs, it’s a little funnier here. My favorite is eating milk flakes flooded with water. 🙂 I also love slippers and crocs, where everyone walks all the time.

How do you like working in an IT company?

As for me, working in IT is great. I’m learning new things and the company is pampering me too. Even yesterday, I noticed that I too could already complain that I would prefer that instead. At such moments, I remember that we still have a lot, and I have a frog under work so it is enough to just go down there. I always say this to the guys!

We thank the Girls for their time for us and wish them continued success on their chosen professional path.