Enter Our Women in Tech Contest

[#1]

Edit: July 27, 2017: We have 2 winners with 11 likes each! Congratulations to ksorourk8​ and lsanglay​ for their winning entries

Reply to this discussion with your answers to the 2 questions below by July 27, 2017, and you will receive a $20 Starbucks gift card. Gift cards will be sent by the email you provided upon registration to Vantiv ONE. Only one Starbucks gift card per person. This offer is limited to the first 100 replies. The reply with the most likes at July 27, 2017 at 12pm MST will win a one year membership to one of the following (winner’s choice):

• Women in Tech​
  
• Women in Tech International
• The Bullish Society​
  

We will contact the winner via message on Vantiv ONE to collect the information for membership registration.

1) How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on?

2) What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

[daniperea]

I'm going to kick this off with answers from Nicole Jass, Senior Leader Data Products at Vantiv. She works on our data & analytics, fraud prevention and loyalty products.

How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on?

I didn’t know what to list as my major for college and my mom told me to do engineering. So I did and it stuck. I tried getting out after an internship in structural engineering but my professor/advisor told me to take his Intro to Illumination class first. I did, then I took every other class he taught all the way thru to a graduate level class in radiative transfer (very fancy terminology for how exactly light bounces around a room) and my first job was as an optical engineer. I then took a left turn and started a company in the ad tech space helping brands measure offline ad effectiveness and creating direct consumer connections from those offline ads. I like to talk about my background as an engineer and a shopper. One was genetic I love working on anything that brings both of those talents (shall we call them) together. Makes my mom proud!

What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

Be a nerd, be passionate, be steadfast. So many barriers have been broken down already, it’s our opportunity and our obligation to appreciate and leverage that. I’ll pass along some great advice I got early on from a guy engineer on my team whose wife was an executive - he told me to be a woman. He said that he had seen so many women try to climb the ladder by acting like a man, or acting how they thought men would want them to act, but that we bring so many unique talents and perspectives that get missed if we try to be like anyone other than ourselves. I liked that advice a lot; it was both insightful and much easier to just be me.

[manya]

1) How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on?

Engineering comes natural to me, as I belong to a family of engineers, but as I ventured more into the field, it piqued my interest and so I did my Masters as well in Computer Science.

I initially started with academic inclination but now I am exploring practitioner side of it and working on honing my business analysis skills

2) What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

I hope in future, for women it is easier to enter into tech, especially after breaks. As a young mother, I am facing up and close this challenge to re-enter in the corporate world. I hope it becomes easier to start a fresh !

My advice to fellow women aspiring in tech -> If it is something you are passionate about and believe you can do, then just go for it. Take your time to explore as much as possible and Keep Learning !

[tjr2jtr2]

1) How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on? 

Started out in accounting but became more interested in HOW the systems work.  That led me to my MBA in Info Systems.  I love working with accounting systems  - so logical!

2) What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

I hope that the stigma about the tech field will go away - it's not just a 'male' field.  Females are more qualified in this field because of our ability to multi-task.  Learn as much as you can!  Plain and simple.

[catoec]

1) How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on?

I've been part of my family's business my whole life so tech has always been something that I've been around. What I love about tech is that the sky is the limit in this industry. New, innovative ideas seem to spring up daily and the very best ones are changing the way we do business and the way we live. I love being a part of something that has such a huge impact on our world.

2) What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

I hope that women will be encouraged to look at tech careers and not just at the obvious jobs like being a developer/coder. We also need women who can lead product development teams, design beautiful UI, support the product line, market the brand, and sell the ideas.

[mcafiero]

good advice, and congrats on motherhood!

[mcafiero]

In addition to superior multitasking, I tried telling daniperea​ that statistically, women are worse drivers than men.  She then fact-checked my statement and apparently women are better at that, too.  Now I'm trying to figure out what men are better at doing than women.  Making fools of themselves, maybe!

[daniperea]

LOL you'll have to host your own discussion to find out!

[daniperea]

I love your advice. Thanks, Caroline!

[michaela]

1) How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on?

In the tech world I started out as a Desktop Support Agent. For just three years in that position I learned a lot about information technology, hardware, networking, and critical infrastructure. I enjoyed troubleshooting problems and being able to dig into issues that nobody else could see….bug hunting! I have since moved to a developer integrations position and find this tech job just as fun and challenging.

2) What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

My hopes are that there will be more women in tech leadership roles. Also, I hope there are more options for younger women to get computer science and information technology degrees without being considered the outcast or minority within that group. My advice is keep going with your tech dreams, if you are passionate about the education you are getting or the job you have, fight for it and be confident. There were so many times when I questioned myself and I had the correct answers all along, I was just afraid to come forward and speak up. Also stick with it, you might get to work with awesome robots one day!

Picture: The NAO Robot and Me

[kelliecnrd]

1. I went to a woman in tech conference at Ball State University. I met a lot of nice ladies but didn't think much about it. A year later a woman stopped me at church and said she remembered me from the conference and I asked if I wanted to have lunch. She was a VP of sales and later went to work as an AM at Cisco. She became my mentor and helped me get a job at Cisco. 

2. My hope is more woman get into technology and that we continue to create and better technologies that make woman's lives easier.

[jenniferb]

1) How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on?

I gravitated towards STEM in high school and, like Nicole Jass, my mom encouraged me to pursue engineering.  This dates me, but I was in my senior year of high school when the twin towers fell. I had never witnessed such terrible destruction. I wanted to know how and why this could have happened. How a seemingly indestructible tower symbolizing humanity's great achievements, could collapse. I choose this topic as my senior project. I went on to teach myself the world of civil engineering, from building codes to I-beams, from foundations to intumescent mastic. After high school I went on to Cal Poly Pomona for my BS in Civil Engineering.

Kismet had a different plan for me. Far from the world of buildings, bridges, and water quality (my favorite!), I grew into the world of electronic payments. I am currently helping to build connections between people so that we work better together, and create structure to help achieve our goals faster.

2) What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

Say yes to every opportunity, you never know who you will meet or where that opportunity will lead.

Push yourself outside of your comfort zone. If you are comfortable, you are not growing.

Know who your role models are. Learn from their successes as well as perceived failures.

Travel abroad.

Wear sunscreen.

[daniperea]

What a great story- you really never know who will give you your next opportunity or do you an unexpected kindness. Thanks for entering, Kellie!

[daniperea]

Jennifer we are both graduates of the class of 2002! I went a slightly different route and dedicated myself to civic engagement. after seeing the towers fall in first period Latin class. Most of my classmates went into the military (my parents were Feds and I went to a military school).

Thanks for the great advice on this thread - I agree that discomfort is the best catalyst for change

[jcarruthers]

This thread was a great idea! Fascinating responses from some pretty hardcore ladies in tech 🙂 It's nice to be reminded that you're not the only one...

1) How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on?

Answering this question made me realize how absolutely key encouragement and female role models have been to my career path. My dad suggested I try programming in high school - the teacher was female and she really went out of her way to encourage me and help me stand up to the boys who didn't want a girl in "their" class! In college my professors (all male, as were all my classmates) encouraged me to participate in women in CS programs and introduced me to women in the tech industry. It was a talk with a female systems analyst at EMC that helped me realize that the space between the users and the technology they need would be the perfect fit for me.

After college I got on as tech support at a software company headed by another amazing woman who started coding in her basement in the 80s (how amazing is that??!!!). I worked my way up to business analyst and then product manager. I definitely lean towards the "techy" side for a PM - my portfolio is the platform for our SaaS application, so we handle bankcard processing but also identity and access, log analytics, environments, and all that wonderful geeky stuff the other PMs don't want to go anywhere near 🙂

2) What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

I have a daughter in middle school, so this is something I think about a lot. I feel like a lot of effort has been made in the last decade to normalize girls in STEM (especially science), and that it really is helping. But I also know that when my company advertises developer and IT positions we almost never get female applicants. I don't think girls see themselves in those types of careers without special encouragement. I'd love to look up one day and see that even 25% of our coders were women.

My advice would be to have confidence in your knowledge, and your right to do the job you've been given. And get yourself out there - be visible to younger women, tell them what you do and why you love it! The more young girls see us they more they'll be able to see themselves in our shoes.

[jcarruthers]

I love your advice!

"Say yes to every opportunity, you never know who you will meet or where that opportunity will lead.

Push yourself outside of your comfort zone. If you are comfortable, you are not growing."

[mcafiero]

Love your advice, jenniferb​!

Your advice reminds me of another tip from a woman interviewed in a podcast I listened to a long time ago.  Sadly I forget who it was, but the advice was simply, "Go First".

Be the first to volunteer, the first to say hi to someone in an elevator, the first to smile at someone, the first to defend someone who needs help, and on and on and on...

I can't say it's become my mantra, but I'd like for it to eventually.  I need to remind myself to "go first" more often.

Anyway, loved your story, great post!

[akl]

1) How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on? I actually started as a part time receptionist for the software company I work for. They started introducing me to the software more and more and I knew it could help so many business owners. They gave me great opportunities to grow and I am happy to say that I am now a full time account manager doing my own demos and continuing to learn more everyday! I really like working on learning new features and better understanding the program!

2) What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech? I love seeing women in job fields that are predominately male dominated. I think women have so much to bring to the table! My advise would be to never consider yourself a finished project. There is always more to learn and improve on. Speak up and be confident!

[jenniferb]

That's awesome! '02! '02! '02!

It's incredible how that event has shaped our lives.

[mytrannguyen]

1) How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on?

I took a leap out of the banking side of merchant services a couple years ago as I wanted to expand my knowledge and experience in sales and went into SaaS sales. I wouldn't consider myself the most "tech savvy" person but I love that tech is always evolving, it's fast pace, and innovative. 

2) What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

Coming from someone that doesn't consider herself a very"tech savvy" I would encourage women to take the same leap and break out of your comfort zone. There's so much to learn. Never limit yourself!

[ksorourk8]

How’d you get started in tech?

My experience in tech started in high school when I took a Cisco Networking class, and I actually didn't really like it. Until then, I had been mostly interested in art, so I always thought I would do something in that space. When it was time to choose my major at ASU, I started with Architecture. I thought it would be a great way to be creative. One semester in, I realized it wasn't working out. I didn't like it at all! I would dread my art projects, procrastinate, and spend several long nights trying to finish them. I wasn't enjoying it, it wasn't coming naturally to me, so I decided to change my major.

My older brother was a Computer Science major at the time, and he was enjoying it. I also had a couple of friends who were taking some basic programming classes and it looked so fun and interesting, like learning a new language. It was so satisfying to change code and see the results on the screen.

So I went for it. I changed my major after the first semester from Architecture to Computer Science. The coolest part was that as my classes progressed, I realized how creative programming was. I ended up becoming really comfortable in the Software Engineering space.

Willing to share anything you like working on?

There isn't really one thing in particular I like working on, because what I love about being a programmer is building and problem solving. I am the happiest when I can take a problem or a user story and do the best I can on each step until the story is delivered to the customer.

Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

My advice to all women in general, not just those in tech, would be to spend some time reaching out to different people in different industries and spending a day in their shoes. I never would have tried programming if I hadn't been exposed to it through friends and family, and I had no idea until I started gaining experience in the industry how broad, diverse, and creative it is.

[nnagisetty]

remember going through that phase myself Manya! Hang in there and when you look back it would seem like a blink..

[nnagisetty]

I am with you on multi-tasking

[nnagisetty]

such great advice !! especially with automation tools and slowly machines learning to code better we will have to find ways to use our time better and smarter

[nnagisetty]

michaela​ you always continue to inspire!!

[nnagisetty]

Thanks for sharing Kellie! a great story indeed... i am sure many would be inspired

[nnagisetty]

Thanks for sharing your story Jessamy! Couldn't agree more with you on your great advice - get yourself out there!! Its leaders like you who would inspire young girls make that choice..

[nnagisetty]

So true and so well said... we ought to be always learning. Its never done!

[nnagisetty]

Thanks for sharing your story Katy! Most people outside of tech don't really see the creativity that lies in tech... you bring up such great points!!

[lsanglay]

I love this thread! Thank you for starting this!

1) How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on?

I lived in a small province back in the Philippines where it does not seem like I would get a lot of tech exposure at all. But to my surprise, my school added a computer class in the grade 6 curriculum. The first language I was exposed to was Logo programming. I would enter some code, and the turtle on the computer screen would move! As a young child, seeing that made me feel like I had magic! And so that started my passion for programming. I really liked that I can transform code into something to a different form - something animated or something that a person can interact with. Years later, I pursued that passion and took up Computer Science in the University. I never stopped wanting to learn, too. I felt like I needed to explore what the world has to offer in the tech field so that pushed me to take an opportunity to work in the US and explore the tech field here. It was a risky and scary move to leave all my family and friends and move across the globe especially for a 24 yo. It turned out to be a great decision. I feel like there are a lot more opportunities and things to learn here. There are a lot more variety when it comes to principles and practices. And most importantly, I have learned a lot from a diverse set of people.

2) What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

I hope women would not be afraid of taking risks to pursue what they want to do. Don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone if you are really passionate about something. Women bring different perspectives to things so don't be afraid to explore a male dominated industry.

[ksorourk8]

I can't even imagine moving to a different country leaving family and friends behind. You are brave and awesome! I'm happy I get to work with you and learn from you every day .

[lkilligrew]

I love this thread - it's fascinating to learn how everyone got started in tech! Here's my story:

1) How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on?

I started in tech when word processing systems (like Wang) first entered the workplace, a long time ago. I became fascinated with how computers could make life easier, and decided to make it my career. Since then I completed both my undergrad and grad degrees with double majors in computer science and business administration, and have done just about every job there is in tech except hard-core programming. I’ve been a business analyst, technical analyst, QA analyst, user interface designer, project manager, program manager, strategic planner, consultant with Gartner, technical trainer and technical writer, data analyst…I could go on.

When I first entered the industry there were few women, and for the longest time all of my colleagues were men. These days about half my colleagues are women, which is awesome. It’s nice to not be odd-man out anymore, but the best thing I’ve seen is that the women are just as respected as the men. I’ve found that in the tech industry, it’s not who you are or what degrees you have that matter; rather it’s your expertise and ability to grow and adapt as new technologies emerge. That’s very exciting because the tech industry is constantly expanding with new possibilities. There’s so many choices for a career, and they are all rewarding!

2) What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

Don’t be afraid to try new things. The tech industry is still a great new frontier and there’s lots of room for creativity and innovation – it’s not just about programming. As many people on this thread pointed out, there’s lots of creative and artistic opportunities if you’re so inclined; lots of problem-solving and “archeological” data digging to discover hidden patterns (that’s one of my personal passions); and lots of opportunities to get things organized and running smoothly if that’s your thing.

If you’re just starting your career, try out different things until you find something you love, then go for it!

[lkilligrew]

"Never consider yourself a finished project" - I love that. About 10 years ago I decided I was through with learning new things; I've learned more since then than I ever have!

[lkilligrew]

I am awed that 9/11 had a positive impact. I'm originally from NYC and was there when it happened...wow. Thank you for turning  tragedy into inspiration!

[amanda]

1) How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on?

I took a high school elective on a whim and ended up falling in love with it. I changed my college plans so I could major in

Computer Science, which was 180 degrees from my original idea to major in History! Over the years I have been lucky enough to do a lot of different jobs that fall under the tech field. Right now I am working as a CIO for a large company, but in the past I have done everything from doing tech support for a small business to being a Project Manager for a non-profit. I love that working in tech has let me have so many diverse experiences to look back on and learn from.

2) What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

My advice is to try to be a positive influence and to be kind to one another. Go to meetups and conferences for women in tech; have lunch with female coworkers; volunteer for workshops or after-school programs that help teach young women to code. I hope by doing these things that we can help to continue to make tech an environment where women feel accepted and comfortable.

[stephaniec]

How’d you get started in tech?

I had a finance career during the early 1990s that gave me the opportunity to work with a lot of technology start-ups. Their enthusiasm for what they did was contagious and inspired me to take a free class at my local library devoted to the basics of computing. That class helped me to realize what my true passion was. I already had a bachelor's degree, but I decided to re-enroll in school so I could get a different degree that would be more suitable for working within tech. After graduating I worked in different facets of the industry and enjoyed them all. About five years ago I felt like I needed to get to the next level so I went back to school one more time to earn my master's degree.

Willing to share anything you like working on?

I like problem solving, collaborating with my coworkers and staying up to date with changes in technology. I work in project management and it's perfect for me.

Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

There has been a big push over the past decade to normalize women in tech. When I was young it was rare to see a woman in STEM and it usually wasn't an encouraged career path for us. Now we have so many amazing programs devoted to helping women that are already in tech and also women that are interested in starting out. I would probably not have the fulfilling career I have today if it wasn't for that free class I took many years ago, so I try to pay it forward by donating my time and money to organizations that help give other women similar opportunities. I encourage my fellow women in tech to do the same, and I encourage women aspiring to be in tech to take advantage of these resources to improve their lives and our industry.

[livmorgan]

1) How’d you get started in tech? Willing to share anything you like working on?

I began in the tech industry by sheer accident, honestly.

I am a millennial, I grew up with a computer in my hands and have always felt very comfortable piddling around on the internet scouring forums & playing games. However, my familiarity with PacMan and Tetris do not exactly translate to career skills that most employers look for. I had truly never considered a position, let alone a career, in this field.

Prior to entering the Tech industry I was working as a waitress at a wine bar and spending my free time watching cartoons taking biology classes. I would pass the Vantiv (at the time, Mercury) building on my way into work and I had always wondered what such a shiny, metallic building was doing in such an old, western town. After a bit of research I found it was for a credit card processor, something I had absolutely NO knowledge of. A close friend pushed me to interview, and well, the rest is history.

I began in the call center and moved quickly through their customer care and technical support positions. Once I was a senior tech support agent I really began to dig my claws into the platform and realized just how interesting and intricate tech can be. I started to see that even for something like credit card processing, the technology behind it was fascinating. How the requests are sent, what an API is, how data is stored and secured, tokenization, the coding language that went into the design--all of it was mind blowing to me.

Of course, after realizing I found how it all worked fascinating, it only makes sense that I often find myself engrossed in deep, complex troubleshooting trying to understand why what I previously thought was impossible became possible, and how, of course, I get it to stop doing that (whatever "that" may be).

2) What are your hopes for the future for women in tech? OR Do you have any advice to encourage fellow and aspiring women in tech?

My best advise is to try it--you'll never know what sparks your interest if you don't give it a shot. This could mean anything from watching a Khan Academy video on computer science or game design to something as advanced as reading "Space Time Coding - Theory & Practice" by Hamid Jafarkhani. The tech industry is so broad and bright that you simply cannot run out of topics to explore. Maybe you like animals? What about looking into assisting the camera technology for biology groups studying Coral Bleaching? What if you're an adrenaline junkie? Try to design and calculate something that records the g-force applied when riding the Superman at Disney World--I'm sure you'll have a blast regardless of the data. Do you like fashion or beauty? What if you designed an app that let you try on the clothes and hairstyles virtually without ever having to get out of bed? I know I'd buy it!

All of these sound difficult and unobtainable, but you would be shocked at how much you can accomplish when you are passionate about it.

The world is your oyster, ladies, and the future is dull and dark without powerful, intelligent women helping to lead the way.

[lkane]

1. After receiving my Bachelors degree in Public Relations in 2007 and working at a "job" in a completely unrelated field until 2010, I realized I needed a change.  I am an introvert, so PR was not for me.  I wanted to do something that had a lot of room for growth and abundant career opportunities.  So, I basically cherry-picked web development.  I went back to school for College Credit Certification, which took 2 years, and got my first job doing web development while still finishing up my final semester.  I had a rough introduction to doing web development in the real world because my coworkers were not very helpful.  But, when I got my second job 7 months later, and started my freelance web development business around the same time, I began to really fall in love with it.  Currently, I am a mainly back-end developer, using ColdFusion.  At work, I am currently working on building a Content Management System that will work hand-in-hand via APIs with a mobile app.

2. I, of course, hope more women get into this field because it is filled with opportunities and growth.  It would be nice if schools somehow encouraged women to get into the tech space to help even out the playing field.

[mcafiero]

Katy, congrats on your win!  Personally I LOVE your advice about reaching out to different people.  It's something I try to work on all the time.  I really admire people who seem to naturally do this.  Thanks for your participation!

[mcafiero]

This is an incredible story, Lizette!  Isn't it amazing that something "magical" that happens in our childhood can develop into a career later on into your adulthood?  I'd say there could be not be a more perfect scenario.  Congratulations, both for recognizing the magic... and for winning this contest!

[gjsissons]

Congratulations Katy. Great post!

[gjsissons]

Congratulations Lizette.  I admire your courage too. That's a big move from Philippines to the US.

[lsanglay]

Thank you guys! I still have so much to learn, this field is fast-paced and ever-changing.