What kind of work did you dream to do at high school? Were you thinking back then, that you would work in IT?
When I was at high school I wanted to become a translator and/or a writer. That was why I decided to study Czech Philology. Back then, I had a very vague idea about what programmers and other people working in IT really did. I would have never believed that I will be working in IT after all, it seemed weird and complicated and I could not really get what could be interesting about writing code and why would anyone want to do that…
Now I know I was very wrong, if I could I’d tell my younger self to look into this – it is really interesting!
How did you get into the world of technologies? Did you study IT or did life bring you there?
I used to work as an accountant but after a few years I felt that it wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It did not bring me any sense of accomplishment.
I decided I needed a change, so I started thinking about what else I could do, what I was good at, what I liked. I have a few friends who worked in IT already, including my husband, a .NET developer. They suggested that QA might be a thing for me. I started to read about software testing, what testers do and how they work and I decided this was what (nomen omen) IT.
I left my former job, started to learn about software development, got ISTQB certificate, got an internship in a software house. After my internship ended they offered me a job and I stayed. After almost 3 years, here I am. Now it is my passion, not just a job. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made, even if it took and still takes a lot of learning.
Did your family and friends support your decision to join the tech world?
Yes, very much. My husband spend a lot of time „tutoring“ me, whenever I had some questions regarding how the software works, the processes or computers. My parents were proud and happy I found something that makes me happy. And that they have private computer specialist now.
Please tell us a little more about your work. (something cool for girls and young women considering working in IT). Why do you love it?
I love my job, because being QA for me, means being Quality Assistance – assisting the whole team in creating better products, improving the process and in self-development. It gives me a lot of satisfaction and this is something you cannot overestimate – to be happy with what you do.
Working in IT mean you will always have something new to learn and it depends only on you, how far will you go and what you will achieve – there are free books, tutorials online, lots of meetups and conferences where you can meet others and talk with them. And because there are a lot of companies – if You are good at your job, you can find a company that will stand for values you also stand for, that will offer you interesting projects, friendly atmosphere and good money.
Working in IT for me, was a way to realize my potential and to realize what it means to be really independent.
What does your company do?
I work in a Software House, so I can say we do, well… Everything! There are lots of projects: e-commerce, cloud migrations, custom travel applications, automotive and industrial projects, machine learning etc. It is awesome because You never know what the next project may be. Also, it makes water-cooler talks really interesting – you can hear about how we solved some problems for our customers and be proud we have our part in their success.
My last projects were mainly e-commerce, which is always stimulating – all the logistics and business flows and data. Lots of things to test, lots of things to learn.
What do you like about working in IT?
Mostly the fact, that people in IT love sharing. Sharing the knowledge, sharing resources and stories of both success and failure. The community we all create is vast and welcoming – you can always find support and encouragement.
What are the advantages from your point of view?
I have a good, stable job that I really like and it pays well. I work with people I like and enjoy spending the 8 hours a day with. I can choose where will my career go and take part in meetups, conferences etc. – being part of a community feels real good.
What is the ratio of men vs women at your team? Would you change it?
The current ratio is one women to three men, but thinking in women/ man ratio is not something that would occur to me. What I care about is a person’s knowledge, experience, intelligence, how we work together – gender is not a factor here. We are all specialists and that is what matters.
Have you ever experienced any prejudice towards you?
Not in IT. I have heard some jokes and stereotypical thoughts from people, but they all came from people outside of the industry. I do not doubt that these problems exist in IT too, I just had the luck not to experience it at work.
I heard that I look too good to work in IT or that women probably are there to make programmers more civilized. All I can do is respond with calm disagreement – the problem is not in me, but in those who have such views.
Would you want more women in IT? Why?
I want more women in IT. And more men. And everyone who think they want to try it.
Whoever you are, when someone will tell you “you cannot do it” or “you cannot achieve it” – do not listen. Try your best, because it is your life – trying, even if you fail is still a lot better than giving up. And in IT we want to help others succeed.