The statistics for women in technology are low, as we work towards gender equality in the STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) field, women remain the minority in the tech industry overall. As it stands, just 19% of the tech workforce are women.
However, at VideoSmart, we stand at a 45% female workforce – believing that closing the gender gap in the technology sector is an important cause. To give you a bit of insight to life in the digital industry and to encourage more women to opt to learn digital skills in order to pursue a tech-based career, we asked a few of our female animators and developers to answer some questions about their experience in the industry:
Q&A: Being a woman in tech
Justyna Krzywda, Frontend Developer at VideoSmart
Introduce yourselves and a little about your role, what is a day in the life for you?
Justyna Krzywda, Frontend Developer at VideoSmart: “My name is Justyna and I am from Poland. I’m a Frontend Developer at VideoSmart in London. My daily work is mainly about coding, problem-solving, pairing & communicating. That's all-in order to create awesome web applications so that a user can see and interact with them directly.”
Fion Tsang, Junior Animator at VideoSmart: “My name is Fion, a girl from Hong Kong. I have worked at VideoSmart as an animator for around a year and a half now. My main role is to create personalised videos.
Creating video/animation is my main responsibility, however, editing audio and a little bit of coding is also part of it. I start with a cup of hot tea every morning, then I create animation based on the client’s requests. If I get a request for a personalised video, I need to work with the development team because even a small change on a personalised video will affect the data processing on the development side. So good communication is very important between the two teams.”
Sara Costa, Software Developer at VideoSmart: “Hi, my name is Sara, I am a developer and I've been in this field for three and a half years. I work as a software developer at VideoSmart and my day usually starts with a short development brief meeting and then I usually start or continue one of the tasks on the board. I am more into backend development, so my tasks are more focused on those, and I always have a faithful cup of tea keeping me company.”
What got you interested in technology?
Justyna: “In my case, another woman encouraged me to try it. My sister is the one who showed me that it’s possible and can be quite fun! That's why during my studies, I started to learn coding in my spare time. I attended some coding meetups and got to know people who motivated me to learn more. So after I finished my studies, I found my first internship where I could start to expand my knowledge. I also wanted to live in London and have the opportunity to work abroad at some point, which fits in well with the technology industry.”
Fion: “From when I was young. The age-group of most new tech start-up companies is very young. (I think around 20-35yrs old, mostly.) Not like in big companies, with old-style company policies who aren’t willing to try new things. Working in a new technology company, you can have more opportunities to try new things - such as AR projection, VR, 3D printing and interactive video etc.”
Sara: “Well, I kind of started through my enjoyment of robotics, and I went to university thinking I would follow that - but slowly changed my path to web development. I would say I have followed the market and the opportunities I had until I got here.”
Fion Tsang, Junior Animator at VideoSmart
What have the benefits been of opting for this type of career path?
Justyna: “I think that one of the biggest benefits of this career path is that you never stop learning and growing. It is an exciting industry because it’s always evolving and changing. There are a lot of opportunities to interact with new tools and learn new skills. Working in the tech industry is also very flexible and creative, you can work from anywhere, across the globe.”
Fion: “You learn a lot every day. I would say if I wasn’t working in (VideoSmart) a tech company, no one would teach me coding in an animator role.”
Sara: “I would say meeting some of the smartest people I know is what pushed me to self-improve, just to follow some of the conversations occasionally.”
What would you say to other women to encourage them to pursue a career in STEM? (Science Technology Engineering & Maths)
Justyna: “I think the best piece of advice I can give to other women is to never be afraid to share your dreams and talk about what you wish to create and see in the world. It's not easy because sometimes we’re afraid that it might not work out, but if you never try, you will never know. It's challenging but, definitely worth it! So be brave, and never be afraid to ask for help. If not now, when? If not you, who?”
Fion: “Please do not be affected by the gender stereotype. Do what you want to do. Study what you’re interested in. The ratio of women and men in STEM is getting better in the 21st Century.”
Sara: “These are the best fields if you like logic problem solving, continuous learning and lots of “googling”.”
What is the biggest misconception about careers in technology?
Justyna: “Very often social media shows programmers working alone, in the dark, with headphones, while they’re writing code. This stereotype is absolutely outdated! The engineers at my company work in a team, discussing how to solve problems and create new product features. They try and change things, they pair programs, they work together to come up with great solutions, and they teach each other. No one on the team cares about whether the engineer is male or female. They just want to work with other people who have ideas and are fun to work with.”
Fion: “That you need to be very smart to join a technology company. To be honest, my school grades were not very good when I was little. I am more interested in watching cartoons rather than reading books. But that’s why I became an animator. So, you don’t need to be incredibly smart to join the tech industry. Because if you are doing something that you enjoy, you will get good result.”
Sara: “That you will do the same thing for the rest of your career, I had this belief before I started. It’s not true at all, unless of course - you want to. Usually, companies are accommodating to your preferences if you tell them and put the effort in, and there are different career paths to take where you choose.”
The office, VideoSmart Ltd
In your opinion, what kind of things can other businesses and educational institutions do to better educate women about the opportunities a career in technology can bring and to encourage them to opt to learn digital skills?
Justyna: “A good place to start with can be hiring more females in the technology industry, trying to improve diversity among the tech team. That can also serve as a great example for other companies. Secondly, companies can also encourage women to attend their webinars and speaking at conferences.
This type of support can help increase awareness. Women can show their credibility whilst illustrating to others how they've grown in their field.”
Fion: “I think big companies need to improve the ratio between men and women in tech departments. The more equal the ratio is, the more the stereotypes will start to disappear. Especially for countries with more gender inequality.”
Sara: “That’s a hard one. I would say starting with middle-schoolers by giving them opportunities to interact with tech-related activities, whether that be at a robotics club or trying gaming development. At these ages, you don’t yet differentiate between what society deems as a woman’s/man’s job and you’re less afraid to try new things.”
Are you a tech enthusiast outside of the workplace? Do you have any tech-related hobbies others should get into?
Justyna: “Yes! Mostly at the beginning of my career when I attended many coding meetups with other developers. These were kind of tech workshops where other experienced developers came to teach the juniors. This can be really helpful, especially if you don't know anyone who can help you get started.
Plus, it was always a very fun experience, with good food and the opportunity to meet new people in the tech industry!”
Fion: “I don’t have tech-related hobbies. I would say it’s good to have other types of hobbies. Because we already work in tech during the week, it’s good to do something else during the weekend.”
Sara: “I wouldn’t consider myself one. I enjoy the talks I usually have with my friends who are in the field on the latest technologies each of us is using, but those usually organically happen during dinners. I would describe myself more as a photography newbie or a book-lover outside of the workplace.”
The team, VideoSmart Ltd
Find out more about STEM careers and closing the gender gap…
Want to find out more about the women in tech movement, find job opportunities and join a network of women pursuing STEM careers? Then check out the womenintech website. To learn more about statistics on closing the gender gap in the tech industry, all information was sourced from PWC’s ‘Women in Tech Report’.
To find out more about VideoSmart and our company culture, check out our LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter (you may even see a job opportunity or two pop up).
For communications strategy and delivery, and to enhance your business offering using personalised or interactive video, contact us at hello@videosmart.com.
