Opportunities for all: why women choose a career in technology

For International Women’s Day, Business Reporter talked to seven women with successful careers in technology about why they chose to enter an industry that was once seen as an exclusively male field

The technology industry is one of the most exciting and rewarding sectors to choose a career in. The diversity of topics and jobs on offer means that there should be space for anyone looking to choose a career in tech, to enter the field.

However, the tech industry is renowned for being male dominated. A study conducted by PwC found that only 27 percent of female students said they would consider a career in technology, compared to 61 percent of males. Only 16% of females had a career in technology suggested to them.

There is an obvious divide between what is being taught and suggested to men, compared to women; and this extends further to whether women feel there is even a space for them within this industry.

However, the technology sector has undeniably improved its gender gap in recent years with a recent study reporting that women would hold 25 percent of cyber-security jobs globally by the end of 2021, a five percent rise from the previous year. There is evidently, still a long way to go, so how did women currently in the tech sector, enter the field, and how do future generations of women join?

Yael Tasher, Global Senior Director, Customer Success at Cyren said that she wasn’t initially interested in the technology industry having studied economics at university, getting her first job working in a bank. “However, out of interest, and at some point during the high-tech ‘bubble’ days, I decided to take a few technical courses. When the opportunity to join a tech company arose, I decided to take my chances and try something new, and I have never looked back.”

Leah Kelly, NAR Delivery Manager at EfficientIP had a similar experience, gaining a career in the industry after also working at a bank; “I didn’t know that I wanted to go into a career in tech. In fact, I was introduced to technology by chance. I started my career as an Executive Assistant for a VP of Information Systems at a large bank who oversaw a team of 45 which included programmers, analysts, project managers and QA engineers.

“They were working on what seemed to be complicated projects using terminology that was very intimidating. What stood out to me, was the fact that there were only two female programmers on the team which piqued my curiosity to the point that I became a sponge and wanted to learn as much as possible, so I asked lots of questions and the women were excited, and willing, to teach me.”

Not knowing that a career in tech was possible is echoed in many other women’s stories about their experience in entering the field, including Lara Vafiadis, Regional Sales Manager at Deep Instinct who was also unaware of the job opportunities available.

“I didn’t grow up knowing that I wanted to work in tech, in fact I didn’t even know that it was an option! I started my career in sailing and by the time I was 21, I had completed my Yacht Master. After a few years of sailing, I was introduced to the tech industry through a friend, and I was amazed at what was available. I loved the idea of working at the forefront of technology, with products that were truly innovative in an ever-changing world. The passion and drive that is prevalent in this industry is truly addictive.”

However, there are many women in the field who entered knowing that they absolutely wanted a career in technology. Racha Abdallah, Customer Solutions Architect at EfficientIP knew that she wanted to work in cyber-security from a young age. “My father, who was an officer, always said that the next war will be a cyber war. He therefore wanted all of his kids to have a career in cyber-security, so it was instilled in us from a young age, and he planted the seed of my affection towards networking and security.”

Lisa Grady, Product Manager at Radiant Logic also had her eyes set on a career in the technology industry. “I always knew I wanted to work in the technology industry so was looking for a company that could really harness that enthusiasm. As such, I started my tech career as a solutions architect at Radiant Logic, the company I am currently still working for, and, over my 22-year career, I have progressed to Product Manager.”

Maria Thompson Saeb, Senior Program Manager Governance, Risk, and Compliance at Illumio is another of the women who knew that the tech industry was the right career choice for her, “I started my career in the 90s as a hardcore technologist – managing and building systems – and I loved it! Then, we entered an era where we needed to prioritize security more, so I started exploring and eventually made the move to cyber-security. My technical background helped give me a strong foundation for the work I’m doing now.”  

Although the opportunities on offer within the industry may not have initially been clear to many of the women, what is evident is the joy that this industry evokes. As Cynthia Stanton, SVP, Vulnerability Risk Management Practice Leader at Rapid7 highlights, there is always something to look forward to.

“What I enjoy most about a career in cyber-security is that you’re constantly having to adjust to a human adversary. There’s this continually evolving problem set that needs to be managed, and you’re always looking at how to evolve your solutions to protect your customers. It never gets boring – you almost wish it did sometimes, but it doesn’t because you’re always up against that ever-evolving human opponent.” 

The industry is an abundance of opportunities for all, and as Tasher so aptly highlights, “you don’t have to be a python developer to enter the tech industry - you can get into the field with roles that are not purely technical. There is a place for everyone in the tech industry.”

With so many women thriving in their chosen tech careers, more needs to be done to highlight these successes and to show other women and our future generation of women, that there is space for them in this industry.

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com