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Describe your background and how you got into IT
- 1983 A levels in Maths, Geography and English Lit.
- 1984 Certified Accountancy Sponsorship – failed! Panicked and signed up for a Business degree.
- 1988 – Graduated with Business Degree. Had two industrial work placements – first one in Market Research for British gas, second one in retail management with Marks and Spencer. Found out about M&S IT graduate scheme and applied.
- 1988 – Spent summer in Australia working/travelling around - last big holiday before real work!
- 1988 One of only 3 women chosen for the M&S It graduate program. Only 13 graduates total.
- Spent first 2 years as a programmer/analyst working on General Merchandise and Food IT systems. M&S sent us on excellent training courses – NCC Analysis&Design course was one of the best. Also did a lot of team building, leadership courses.
- 2000 moved to Oracle UK as an IT consultant, working on bespoke development projects for customers such as Pizza Hut, Wandsworth Council, Tiphook.
- 1993 transferred to Oracle's Head Quarters in Silicon Valley, California, as a consultant. Continued to work on bespoke development projects for customers: Pacific Bell Directory, Pacific Gas&Electric, CA Dept. of Corrections.
- 1996 joined a communications startup in San Franciso, as Head of IT and Systems. Managed internal IT operations and all company applications.
- 1997 became independent contractor and worked as a Project Manager for customers such as KPMG, Third Age, BskyB.1998 Move to UK and joined PriceWaterhouseCoopers as a Principal Management Consultant.
- 1999 Moved back to California to re-join Oracle Corporation as a Practice Manager. Managed various client relationships and projects, including eTrade, Visa, Working Woman Network.
- 2000 Moved into Oracle's Development organisation as a Director of Product Management – responsible for CRM Sales applications. Managed a team of product managers responsible for the definition of the applications, communications with customers and overall lifecycle of the product.
- 2003 – moved back to UK and worked remotely – flying to CA on a regular basis.
- 2005 – career break to start an Mgt Diploma with Open University.
- 2006 – Obtained Mgt Diploma.
- 2007- Head of Operations at a consulting company specialising in search and content mgt software.
- 2007 – Several positions as Interim VP/Head of Operations – generally overseeing IT as well as other parts of the organisation.
What is your current position / situation
Independent consultant – doing general Operations management as well as IT/development.
What do you like best about working in IT?
- I like the team work. I like the fact that people can get together with varying skills and “build” things.
- I like building the team – as I got more senior I had to put teams together and lead them. I'm quite a people person, so I like doing that.
- I like the buzz when software goes live and we can see what we have all been working on for so long!
Why did you choose a career in IT in the first place?
- I did not have a clue what I wanted to do when I was at school. I did A levels in Maths, Geography and English Literature, just because I was better at those subjects than anything else. We had no career advisers or anyone to discuss what we might want to do!
- Before I did my Business Degree I was on a Certified Accountancy course, but out of the 6 subjects I failed the 2 accountancy ones and decided it just was not for me! I ended up doing a Business degree because it sounded sort of easy and it was “new” at the time! I liked the fact that there were 2 work placements, as I thought it would give me an advantage when I finished to have done some work experience.
What have been the highlights of your career so far?
- Living in Silicon Valley, being around all the buzz in the 90s and meeting a plethora of international friends.
- Getting to a pretty senior position at Oracle.
- Now working for myself, choosing what I do and not having to work 5 days a week!
What are your career aspirations?
To fully retire by the time I am 50. I dabble in other things like managing a couple of properties. I wouldn't mind doing a bit more of that. I quite fancy doing some property development at some point. I am sure I will always be doing something, just not necessarily IT related work.
What are your tips for success?
- Not sure I have that many. I tended to go with the flow and generally just had fun.
- Try to find a mentor where you work or in your field elsewhere. My first boss at Oracle (male) was excellent and he was a good informal mentor to me. I am still in touch with him now.
- Probably suggest being more politically savvy at work than I was. I probably let my heart and emotions rule my head too much at times. I have friends who planned their careers to the Nth degree – some of them are now in very senior positions with very large companies. I think they have done really well.
- Maybe have some sort of goal – does not have to be work related. The only goal I ever really made was to buy my own place by the time I was 30. I managed to do it by 28, by saving hard and being very careful about how I used my money. Being financially savvy is really important in any job – get good advice, there are plenty of free online places.
What books / websites etc. would you recommend to a woman just starting out in IT?
- I can't say I ever read anything specific. I just use the internet a lot for everything from shopping to banking, to research etc. I am not a heavy duty techy at all. I have worked on lots of different projects and just got up to speed with the various technologies as needed.
- You will go mad if you try to stay up to date with every single cool piece of technology, hardware etc etc. Better to have an overall idea of what it takes to develop from start to end and the general processes and methodologies that are followed.
- Just stay up to date with some of the key ways that technologies are actually being used in the real world. e.g. knowing that Second Life, Facebook, MySpace, eBay, Craigslist etc exist and what people do with them. Knowing how GPS technology has changed the way people can operate in developing countries etc. Thinking about how mobile phones now do so much more than just making calls!! Realising how technologies can improve what people do and change the ways they have been done. It's not all about knowing the latest piece of hardware or software, but more about generally understanding how technology is impacting the world and people's lives
Can you share a few words of wisdom for those people who are thinking about pursuing a career in IT
Depending on what you end up doing in IT it can be a hidden part of the business, as it is very much an internal service to make the business function. If you crave glamour and being seen by all the Top Bods it's probably not for you! What it does give you though is an insight into most parts of an organisation. I have been involved in building IT systems for Marketing departments, Finance Departments, Customer Service, Sales, Contracts, Operations etc across many different industries. There is glamour in really being needed!
How important do think your education or background has been in influencing your career choices?
Not that important for my era. Marks and Spencer used to take anyone on to its graduate IT program with a good degree and ability to get through their rigorous interview process. I still believe that you do not need an IT degree to do well in IT. I believe it's the level of learning that is important. I think some companies make mistakes by only taking people with an IT degree. Sadly, a lot of them are making it more and more mandatory these days. I personally think that is a big mistake. I believe people should generally study what they like and are good at. IT is very varied, the skills needed to be a good systems analyst are quite different to what it takes to be a java developer or a network specialist.
Do you think it might have been a different story, of "how you got to where you are now", if you'd been a man?
- Possibly, I think I am not as politically savvy as some men. I'm not sure it's such a gender issue though – I know some pretty politically savvy women.
- Also most men I have worked with avoid confrontation at all costs. I have never been like that and it probably worked against me sometimes.
Tell us a little about your life outside of work.
- When I was younger I was able to party hard and still get up and be at work on time.
- The years I lived in California were excellent and had an incredible social life.
- Now I have social activities, but probably more in keeping with my age - not so much dancing on bars any more!
- The volunteer/non-profit side of my life is equally important to me now as any paid for work that I do.
- I am the Secretary of the local Residents' Association and manage all outbound communications.
- I volunteer as a reading mentor for 5-7 year old girls.
- I am also trained to give Blue Cross presentations on Animal Welfare in schools/clubs etc.
- My husband and I are into house renovations – I love taking an old wreck and bringing it to life again.
- I also like reading, swimming, cycling and being with good friends.
Do you think that there are obvious differences between what men and women have to offer an IT department?
- Not necessarily. I have heard it said that women are generally more detailed oriented, but I have met some very detail oriented men as well. I guess a lot of men do engineering degrees and that may have something to do with them getting into the more techy side of things.
- I think it's just important to have a more balanced work force. In the last few jobs I have had I have been the only woman in IT!
Are you aware of any preconceptions or stereotypes of women in IT, and if so what do you think of them?
I haven't but I can guess – probably nerdy, geeky etc. All I can say is those people need to have been partying with me and my fellow IT female friends in Silicon Valley in the 90s!
What do you think could be done to actively encourage more women to join the technology market place in general?
- Have exposure to more female IT role models
- Have mentors in their GCSE year and A level years of school
- Companies should have mentors for all grads/new starters (male and female).
- Explain the variety of roles in IT. There are so many different positions I don't feel many people outside of IT understand them.
Do you think enough is currently being done to counterbalance what has become an obvious lack of women in technology?
- No – I think it is a crying shame. When I left university and joined M&S there seemed to be a lot more women in IT – although I am not aware of any specific campaigns at the time. Also working in Silicon Valley there were a lot more. When I returned to UK in 2003 I was shocked to see how few there were and it seems to be declining.
- One big problem I see is that companies are demanding IT degrees and possibly more men do those degrees than women. I think it is a BIG mistake to make an IT mandatory for all IT roles – e.g. good business/systems analysts can come from general arts degrees.
If you could give young women looking for a position in the IT market place a single piece of advice what would it be?
- Network, Network, Network (I was rubbish at it, but that's what men do really well). Get yourself some business cards made up and don't be embarrassed about handing them out. Get people's business cards when you meet them and try to keep in touch – (especially if you really like them!). I don't find it a particularly easy thing to do, but it does work. Some of my best jobs have been through people I know.
- Know your strengths and be aware of your weaknesses and know how to deal with them.
- Don't be afraid to promote yourself – it's hard to get a balance without seeming arrogant or full of yourself, but generally employers will want people who are self starters, team players and independent thinkers – if they don't then you don't really want to work there!
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