Not gonna lie… being a woman in Technology is tough and has its challenges along with its rewards. I have been in this arena a long time. I began there in my early work years, working for a printer manufacturer and a software development company. I then went home to have some babies, be a mom, wife and ran a business out of my home for many years. When the kids went off to college, Momma went back to work.
WOW! Did the landscape change. One thing I encourage other women to do is to be involved in something that helps to keep your skills up. I had a small business doing support for business people that were sent home to work. They lost their administrative assistants. I was a virtual assistant before there was the internet. I also dabbled in the MLM universe. You will learn sales skills, leadership, how to build a business and a team. It is not for everyone but great for the period of time that you need it. So invaluable. I was able to take those skills back into the workforce when I decided to go back to work fulltime.
I have always been intrigued with Technology. Early in my career, one job I had was with a printer manufacturer. I loved sticking my head under the hood and seeing if I could fix the problems.Swapping out modules, replacing a capacitor, or printer head, oh it was fun, but this can be a tough industry for women. In speaking with older women I find it is not much different for this generation than for my momma’s and grandmomma’s generation. They worked in factories, offices, retail stores, ran their own business or stayed home to raise children. They dealt with similar biases and roadblocks. I have found that my only roadblock will be the ones I allow to stand in my way.
Today is just more technical and the speed of change is supersonic. I work in Tech Support daily. I am one of the crazies that actually likes people. Not your typical introverted tech support geek. I walked into this with rose-colored glasses and ready to learn and OH BOY did I learn. I tell people that I could turn on a computer and that was about it. My first job back after being at home was in the insurance industry. I learned how to work in a fast-paced call center. Showing up every day and working with a team. I was then brave enough to apply for a job with an internet company and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED that job.
I moved up fast, learned a lot, enjoyed it so much I became a trainer. I taught Hosting, DNS (how your domain works behind the scenes), WordPress (how to build a website), Email, and sales. I was also able to travel and train internationally. I love helping people learn, grow and become more.
In my next position, I had the opportunity to take on a more technical role with a larger IT company and work from home. I have learned that no one will reach out and teach me, I have to teach myself, I have to keep learning to keep up, and I need to be a lifelong learner. The same things I instilled in my kids when I home-schooled them.
I am not your typical Tech support person. I will not talk to you in “TechGeek” speak. I will
explain what we are doing, try to help you understand why you are where you are, and how to fix the issue. I also do not know everything. Shocking I know! In fact, your brain can only hold so much, that is why Google is my friend. I don’t know all things but can usually find you an answer.
Now I mainly work with administrators for businesses. I like getting an Admin on the phone and “chewing the fat” so to speak (whoah that just dated me). I like to have a conversation with them and find out how their day is going. I am interested in them and how I can help alleviate some of the issues they face. I do love a challenge digging into issues to find a resolution.
Not sure where this blog will lead but I hope to challenge other women in Tech and the ones they may want to pursue a Tech job, that you can still be a woman, be you, and do anything you set your mind to.