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 Describe your background and how you got into IT.
From an early age I was interested in IT, my first taste of computing came from playing an old games console which then developed into my own PC. My father was and still is an electronics fan and at 13 he built and showed me my first complete computer. However I was left to install, fix and upgrade as I wanted. I remember one Christmas when I was around 16/17 spending two weeks solid in my room setting up a very old modem connection to the internet. My passion for everything IT related has taken me through college, onto university and finally into the workplace.
What is your current position / situation.
I am currently the Managing Director of my own RFID company Mobido Communications Ltd. We supply & custom manufacture tags and provide training on Radio Frequency Identification.
What do you like best about working in IT?I love the fact there are so many different levels and ways to use any IT skills. From being an engineer to an operator or manager. The change in the past 10 years has been amazing and it offers so much variety. It's no longer about using a computer solely for writing documents.
What have been the highlights of your career so far?
Developing my own product for use in UK Libraries. My company has developed a product that allows libraries to issue set of keys providing an opportunity to track locker usage. We took existing products and redesigned using my knowledge and experience. Also being the only female business owner at this years annual Cilip RFID conference sharing my product and knowledge was a very big achievement.
What are your career aspirations?I would love one day to see my products in use in more areas. The things I imagine before I go to sleep or when I have a 'vision' to become real day to day products.
What are your tips for success?
Don't feel pressured by anyone into thinking you can't or shouldn't ask questions or try to understand. There are a lot of male and females who will happily blind you with words, but take the time out to learn where you can and ask other people.
What books / websites etc. would you recommend to a woman just starting out in IT?I would definitely recommend www.womenintechnology.co.uk, I wish it had been around when I was leaving school as I would not have been given the guidance of 'perhaps something in clerical would suit you'. Professional forums and groups such as www.linkedin.com are very useful for sharing ideas. You can beat really getting to know equipment and software on a practical level, read manuals where you can, use the dummies guides and if you're ever not sure ask questions.
Can you share a few words of wisdom for those people who are thinking about pursuing a career in IT?IT has so much to offer and you never stop learning, people are always coming up with new ways to do things or more ways to use systems. Why not be one of these people?
How important do think your education or background has been in influencing your career choices?
I would love to say that my background has been privileged, but it wasn't. I think the biggest driver in my choices were from a passion and determination to learn and develop. I would have happily gone without the latest bag and accessories if it meant I could do or learn something else. It doesn't matter where you are from or how little you have where there is a will there is a way.
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?
Definitely! I think over the years as girls come through school it is improving, but there is still a theme that 'men do this'. It's not stopped my determination, but even I have felt pressure to give up or that I don't know. I think perhaps if I'd not had the self doubt in my younger days and better career guidance I would have started on the right path instead of stumbling a little.
Tell us a little about your life outside of work.I enjoy spending time with my son, family and friends. I do tend to still 'tinker' with equipment and have many home projects around, I'm a big fan at the minute of making media centres and getting rid of piles of DVD's. Unfortunately my son has his mum's habit and now tries to take his toys apart (he's two), though I do have a smile when he asks if mummy will fix.
Do you think that there are obvious differences between what men and women have to offer an IT department?
There isn't really a great deal of difference in real terms between the sexes. It is purely at the moment because there are more men and less women.
Are you aware of any preconceptions or stereotypes of women in IT, and if so what do you think of them?
I think there is still a stigma around being a capable women in IT. All too often there are women who are involved but they tend to be pushed towards a strategic role or clerical role. I find this rather sad really, and it is important that women push and keep pushing to get an equal footing.
What do you think could be done to actively encourage more women to join the technology market place in general?
I think showing from an early age what you can do with IT would help. Also showing what career paths you can choose with the skills you have, where else and what industry you could take it to. Perhaps instead of fashion design or beauty...you could use software to design you could plan out whole outfits, create them with 3d models etc.
Do you think enough is currently being done to counterbalance what has become an obvious lack of women in technology?I think there is more being done, but there should be more and from an early age.
If you could give young women looking for a position in the IT market place a single piece of advice what would it be?Don't give up, even when people tell you to be quiet or you don't know anything. Listen to your own instinct and go for it.
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