The sight of an all-male team first stepping foot on the moon, the lack of any female presidents in US history and company boardrooms made up exclusively of men are just some examples of women lacking visibility throughout the years.
Whilst the landscape is slowly changing, the disparity is still very much visible; this is very much evident within the tech industry. With progress still to be made, how can we do more to encourage women into tech, and to demonstrate the amazing opportunities that exist?
How can we encourage change this International Women’s Day?
It’s fundamental that we raise awareness to women that they can access the same career opportunities as men, and that should begin from an early age. Positively, the age of easily accessible technology is now upon us, and is allowing both boys and girls to develop their digital skills. Courses such as computer science are also becoming more readily available in schools, college and university level. Education of opportunities is key.
It’s also never too late for a change of career, especially with so many pathways available, such as apprenticeships, bootcamps and higher education courses. Combining this with many more options for flexible working, this is a career choice that can offer balance to home and working life.
The availability of continuous education to all, is key to a successful career in tech. Here at Merapar, we put this into practice by encouraging all of our team to gain their AWS or Scrum certifications, and our new starters are trained in a range of hard and soft skills to help fast track them through the company. We truly believe that with the right passion, drive and training, every person will have the opportunity to succeed with a career in technology, and we are always supporting and encouraging them to get there.
Women at Merapar
At Merapar, we believe that diversity within the workplace is essential for success. We celebrate everyone’s uniqueness and welcome different personalities, approaches and perspectives to meet challenges, solve problems, design code and more. In our hiring process we seek for quality, passion and a cultural fit with our organisation. All are welcome at Merapar and we are proud of the diverse team that we have grown, and continue to grow!
Kamila Formela, Software Developer Merapar
"My background is in pharmaceuticals, but I always felt that something was missing from my working life. I had experience using the programming language Java which I really enjoyed working with, and some exposure to PHP as my husband is a PHP Developer, so I was interested in Software Developer roles.
I joined a six-month-long boot camp in Gdansk, Poland to build my software skills from here. I applied for a job with Merapar and was successful! Since joining the team, I’ve worked on internal and customer-facing projects over the last two years, and I’m still evolving, learning and moving out of my comfort zone. A diverse technology team can really benefit from a range of technical and soft skills, and Merapar champions that approach. It’s one of the things I like most about working here."
Ladan Sheik, Scrum Master
"Working as a teacher for years has provided me with a lot of cross-over skills in terms of fostering a continuous learning mindset as a Scrum Master today. After teaching, I moved into project management roles in the education sector, and found a passion for Agile. Purely by networking, I transitioned into the tech space in the Scrum framework. I’ve always been curious about tech, having participated in a web development boot camp for example, but I have always been more interested in helping build teams rather than products.
I’m passionate about making tech more inclusive and enjoy working at Merapar because diversity, equity and inclusion is something that everyone I work with believes in. I’ve been inspired by Merapar’s DEI working group which has championed some promising changes since working here for the past 10 months. As a Scrum Master I’m keen on applying an empirical approach to my own professional development and this is something that has been supported by our Agile Centre of Excellence, Merapar’s agile community of practice, which among a number of services, has helped me develop with the support of mentoring and training. I really value the investment that Merapar puts into its people!"
Farah Krecinic, Project Manager
"I was a good student and had good grades in every subject, so it was hard for me to pick what I wanted to study. My dad said, "Do computers. That's where all the jobs are." I hadn't even thought about it since my older brother was pretty much your textbook definition of a computer nerd, while I on the other hand, was not. By then I happened to have already done QBasic and Pascal and I did like programming, so I said sure.
Working at Merapar, I was happy to see so many female programmers. They’re still a minority, but all the developers I’ve worked with in Europe for the past 10 yrs were all male. As a brown skinned female working at Merapar, I don’t feel any different. They’ve treated me with respect and have not just allowed me to voice my concerns, but they also keep asking me to."
Anna Holden, Marketing Manager
"My career in marketing has spanned from defence and aerospace, medical and retail, and I have been in the broadcast and technology sector for 7 years now. You only have to look at my CV to see that it’s possible to change direction and move to a career in tech!
Since starting at Merapar, I have been championed to obtain an AWS accreditation, Hubspot accreditations, and I’m already creating my next list of things I want to achieve in 2023. For me, the buzz comes with working in an industry that is ever changing and fast paced. There is always a challenge to be solved, something new to be learned. Working for Merapar in a remote position, gives me the flexibility that is so important for me as a working mum. I can give everything to my role because the pressures of having to worry about the school run, making a school or doctors appointment etc are taken away. Merapar has full trust in us to work autonomously, and to balance work and home life. I genuinely have the right balance, and I am more productive on both sides as a result."