Greenbird Women in Tech: What’s Best About Working in the Tech Sector?
Recent studies have searched for reasons why more women don’t consider a career in the tech sector. These interviews from EnBW New Ventures describe what women already working in the industry like most about their jobs. They illustrate why working in tech offers a rewarding and satisfying career path.
With thanks to Karen Wirth and EnBW New Ventures for the permission to use these interviews and images.
Increasing the numbers of women in tech isn’t just a ‘nice to have’. The statistics indicate that it makes strong business sense. A recent report by McKinsey & Company found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile.
But the tech sector remains a predominantly male sector with only 25% of its workers being women. This is an even smaller percentage than it was in the 1980s.
A PWC report found that girls at high school avoided STEM subjects. The study found that some of the participants in the study said they didn’t find STEM subjects interesting and didn’t see these subjects as relevant to the career paths they have chosen. No wonder that girls who have lost interest when they are still at school don’t look for jobs in the tech sector when they join the labor market.
A recent series of interviews by our partner, EnBW New Ventures gives a different perspective. They ask women already working in the tech sector what they like about their roles. The answers they give are insightful and refreshing as they discuss a sector they find interesting and motivating.
We’re very pleased that three members of the Greenbird team were asked for their opinions of what they like best about working in the tech sector. Here are some of their insights.
Mei Yang is a Senior Consultant at Greenbird
There’s always something new in Tech
Mei points out there’s a constant stream of new and interesting developments in the tech sector. New software, new design architecture, new ways of working – there’s always something fresh to spark ideas and apply to work projects. At Greenbird, there’s a daily catch-up meeting where everyone can share ideas or ask for help.
It’s a Creative Industry
Mei points out that it’s a creative sector. Software development may seem abstract, but it’s now an essential part of resolving day-to-day problems in every single industry. And these are problems that need creative thinking and imagination to solve.
The Greenbird Work Culture
Mei likes Greenbird’s agile approach to work which means innovation and trying new things is part of working life. Whether it’s starting an online course to learn something new, taking clients on a cycle-tour of Oslo or the flexible approach to working that was already in place before the pandemic struck, there’s an informal culture here which Mei appreciates.
Maja Helene Pedersen is a Senior Software Engineer working on our Data Lake team
It’s a Rewarding Sector
Like Mei, Maja likes the creativity her job involves. She enjoys the challenge of finding answers to a technical problem and constantly using her coding skills to solve these puzzles. For Maja, looking back at a functionality she’s programmed and saying ‘I made that’ is incredibly rewarding.
The Greenbird Work Culture
Maja likes the agile culture here at Greenbird and our relatively small size means she feels her work has a visible impact on the success of the business.
Liping Mu is a Senior Software Engineer and Architect at Greenbird
Turning Theory into Practice. Finding Answers…and Questions
Liping studied for a PhD in Information and Communication Technologies, researching enterprise architecture. She found that her research raised a series of question, but the answers were not readily available in books. Instead, Liping realized that applying her research in the real world would allow her to discover the answers for herself.
Liping initially worked as a Software Architect in a large company which helped to define the problems. Becoming a Developer at Greenbird helped her to find the answers. Now we’re very happy that Liping is sharing those answers in her work with Greenbird clients!
The Greenbird Work Culture
Before coming to work at Greenbird, Liping had worked with some of our employees in previous organizations. Knowing the high level of expertise and technical ability of these individuals was an added incentive to join the team.
Liping has enjoyed the variety of projects she has to work on here and says she’s been able to constantly learn and put those learnings into practice.
We agree with Liping that she has brought a sense of fun and laughter to our organization. Clearly, she’s in the right place as she describes the team here as, ‘nice people who know how to have fun.’
Creative, rewarding, innovative, always new things to learn – just some of the reasons these #WomenInTech love their jobs. Who wouldn’t enjoy a job in such an interesting sector with so much scope for personal and career development?
