#CelebrateHer: Women of Hack Capital
Happy International Women’s Day! In light of this day, we decided to chat with a few women at Hack Capital and ask them about their experiences in tech and what they see as ways companies can improve their diversity and inclusion practices to help push barriers and make sure more women can break into the tech industry.
Without further ado, here are the #womenofhackcapital and their stories of how they got into tech!
Name: Jess
What’s your current job title?
Full Stack Software Engineer.
How did you get into tech?
What spurred my interest was through trying to figure out how to streamline some of my tasks at my old workplace. Long story short, I learned how to automate some of my work and was excited that I was able to build my own tools. I saw the potential in this and started investigating further.
What are some of the challenges that you faced getting into the tech industry and how did you overcome them?
During my initial investigation into tech, I found there to be a welcoming community and after learning about coding bootcamps, shortly enrolled at RED Academy. I wasn’t sure what the reception would be since I came from a completely different field, but I was surprised by the positive response — employers needed developers and I brought a unique set of skills and experiences that was valued in addition to my technical skills.
It was only a month after I had finished school that I found the perfect job for me here at Hack Capital!
What are some pieces of advice you can offer to any women looking to break into tech?
Start by reaching out to people who are in jobs you’d like to be doing and chat with them. Meet up with other women in the tech industry — there are great ways like checking out Tech Ladies events — to learn about the exciting things you could be working on or building.
Don’t be intimidated if you don’t come from a technical background! Being a problem solver and a critical thinker is the start to being a software engineer, and from there, you can explore a few accelerated learning options like a bootcamp. I was able to switch mid-career into a job I love where I get challenged and get to solve interesting problems.
What can companies do to adopt a more inclusive culture and address diversity problems?
Be open to hiring candidates from different backgrounds and schooling.
Foster a welcoming and supportive environment to encourage women to speak up and have their voices heard.
Initiate an open conversation around diversity, and continue to evaluate how they are doing on a regular basis.
Men need to support women and help them break into tech. Companies can do this by implementing mentorship programs where men aren’t afraid to #mentorher.
Name: Lee Ling
What’s your current job title?
Customer Success Manager
How did you get into tech?
Tech technically found me, but I have always wanted to get into tech, and when the opportunity presented itself I didn’t hesitate and just jumped right in. I knew I liked tech, so I fully immersed myself in learning all about it. I took coding courses and did a lot of learning on my own which taught me how to communicate effectively with the people I work with in various roles.
A little bit about how I got started in tech; I have a degree in biology and was found by a software company that specializes in analyzing water quality testing data. They wanted someone with a science background that could speak to their end users, and long story short that’s how I got my foot in the door.
What are some of the challenges that you faced getting into the tech industry and how did you overcome them?
The types of technologies in the tech space are constantly changing which makes it difficult to keep up. I am fortunate to be around colleagues who are patient and willing to share their knowledge. To grow my technical knowledge in a fun and casual setting, I don’t miss out on company Lunch N Learns and hackathons.
I joined the Society of Women in Science and Technology, a volunteer organization, and became a board member. They encouraged me to speak up more and created a safe space for my voice to be heard and made me feel more comfortable in presenting ideas.
Mentoring others is the most effective way to boost your confidence. Being able to help others reach their goals is proof that you have valuable skills and perspectives to offer. If you notice your friends, peers or co-workers are afraid of speaking up but have great ideas, encourage them and let them know their opinions matter. Unconsciously, you are reminding yourself to do the same.
What are some pieces of advice you can offer to any women looking to break into tech?
Find supportive environments, like volunteer organizations, where you can build up confidence. Surround yourself with your tribe of men and women in tech who motivate and challenge you to become a better version of yourself.
A lot of women tend to have imposter syndrome and they think they are faking it but in reality they actually have the skill sets. Believe in yourself and know that you were hired because of your past accomplishments and your potential.
Find mentors that can offer diverse range of perspectives — not just female mentors but also male mentors who can help encourage and inspire you.
It is not uncommon to change career paths and having to start from square one. There are learning opportunities in every job. After years of Biology training, I went to break into the business world. My first job was a call center agent. It was a great learning experience that developed my client facing communication, a crucial skill in growing my career.
What can companies do to adopt a more inclusive culture and address diversity problems?
Having a mentorship program that pairs male leadership and female employees to encourage and inspire their growth.
Companies can encourage women to find their voices and speak up and make them feel their opinions will be heard.
Name: Prachi
What’s your current job title?
Full Stack Software Engineer
How did you get into tech?
I have a background in engineering and I worked in IT for almost a year. My job was not coding related, but I’ve always had an interest in software development. In my undergraduate program, I worked on a project in Java where I built a “Mini-photoshop”. Even using a simple blur functionality on my Mini-photoshop was so fun. It is definitely an amazing feeling to use something that you have worked on. When I moved to Canada, I was looking for opportunities to switch my career and I found software development to be something that I would enjoy doing as a long term career. I had some experience with a few coding languages and then made a mobile app on my own and spent around 3–4 months on it. After that, I decided I should be more serious about software development and that’s when I decided to go to Lighthouse Labs for the full time bootcamp program.
What are some of the challenges that you faced getting into the tech industry and how did you overcome them?
Having no prior work experience. Before attending Lighthouse Labs, I did apply for a few jobs after doing personal projects and my app, but was turned down due to my lack of formal work experience. Many companies require actual work experience and do not look at the merits of personal projects. My Lighthouse Labs experience made it a lot easier to apply for jobs. Lighthouse Labs had many mentors which gave myself and the others in my cohort many insights about working in software development and the support we needed to launch our careers.
What are some pieces of advice you can offer to any women looking to break into tech?
I attended many Meetups and met people there and asked them questions. Talk to people, ask questions, keep learning, and always be proactive, and don’t shy away from learning new technologies. Force yourself out of your comfort zone and experience new things. Try your hands building something that you would love to use.
What can companies do to adopt a more inclusive culture and address diversity problems?
Make job opportunities more visible to women and make sure they know they’re welcome to apply. Promote your organization as a place that is gender diverse and equal opportunity.
Name: Grace
What’s your current job title?
Content and Community Manager
How did you get into tech?
I’ve always been interested in tech, innovation and the idea of creating something new and interesting. I have also tinkered around with HTML /CSS to try and change how websites look in the past. My first “formal” foray into the tech space would be at a Startup Weekend where I was part of a team that created a gamified networking app that encourages people to go meet others and broaden their networks through in person interactions- think Tinder meets Linkedin with rewards and badges. From there, I was part of a few startups and kept getting myself involved in tech type events. I’m currently also on the organizing team for a Meetup called YVR Startups which aims to help inspire, inform and involve people within the tech space.
I was approached on AngelList by Hack Capital and that’s how I found myself here, surrounded by a wonderful supportive and inclusive team!
What are some of the challenges that you faced getting into the tech industry and how did you overcome them?
I found that women were definitely a minority, but since I wasn’t seeking a role that is more on the technical track, I would say I definitely faced less hurdles. That being said, I’ve definitely had my fair share of situations where people have tried to paint me in a certain role just because I am female, so diversity is still definitely a bit of a challenge in the tech industry.
I’ve been intentional with finding people who I can ask for advice that are working in tech and finding my support network.
What are some pieces of advice you can offer to any women looking to break into tech?
Be a sponge — talk to as many people who are doing things that you see yourself doing. This is the only way you’ll learn what each different role in tech entails. There are many different career paths and companies that support your interests, even as they change.
Read all the free information that’s available online. I read a lot of articles, blog posts and websites and have found all the knowledge I’ve gleaned from these sources to be super helpful in my understanding of different technologies.
Find mentors who are in roles you’d like to be in that can offer advice and guide you in the right direction.
What can companies do to adopt a more inclusive culture and address diversity problems?
Make sure your employees know that the merits of each individual’s work is independent of gender and always give all employees equal opportunities to speak up about ideas. Welcome people of different backgrounds to apply and state it explicitly in hiring material.
—
The Women of Hack Capital are offering to answer any questions other women may have about breaking into tech. We’d love to continue this conversation around diversity in tech and women in tech beyond just International Women’s Day and we would also love to have more women join our team!
Reach out to grace@hackcapital.com with the subject line “ RE: Hack Capital Women in Tech Chats” and we’ll get the ball rolling :)!
