Get comfortable being uncomfortable.
That’s the advice seven leaders in tech gave about 60 college and university women students at the Women in Tech Power Panel held at Communitech in Kitchener Wednesday night.
“Hone in on what feels most vulnerable and challenge yourself,” said Saheba Segu, an Enterprise Account Executive at Shopify.
Communitech’s campus ambassadors from Conestoga College, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo organized the event as a way to showcase women’s contributions to tech ahead of International Women’s Day Friday. The full event was recorded on video.
The panel included women in technical and non-technical roles, which Jenna Aquino, Communitech’s campus engagement co-op student, said was important.
As an English major, Aquino said she never saw herself working for a tech company until she began co-op placements through the University of Waterloo.
“I realized there are roles for everyone. Women should feel empowered to get into the industry and realize they do have valuable skills,” said Aquino, who moderated the event.
Though the women on the panel all ended up in the industry, each got there a different way. Most had no idea they would end up in tech.
Akailah Wilson applied for a job at Google that she didn’t think she’d get but landed the gig.
About 60 women students attended the Women in Tech Power Panel at
Communitech on March 6. (Communitech photo: Sara Jalali)
For Segu, a career in tech happened by default: She was involved in student tech groups while studying at Laurier and ended up at Shopify.
Arjumand Ateeq, CEO of Baysil Inc., a health software company, thought she would go into medicine until she got her first computer at 18.
Ellen Stafford kept saying yes to different opportunities that came her way until one landed her a role as Vidyard’s Senior Manager of Business Development.
Laura Newton wanted to create things and liked solving problems – she’s doing both now as software company Kik’s Director of Product, Design and Marketing.
Andrea Kerswill wrote a business case for why Scotiabank should open FactoryU, the bank’s experimental centre, with no intention of it turning into a job.
“I was like, ‘Here you go, have fun,’ but they pushed it back to me and said, ‘How about you do it?’ ” she said. “It was the best decision I ever made.”
Plum CEO Caitlin MacGregor, who co-founded the HR company, never thought she’d be an entrepreneur. But after building two businesses from the ground up for others, she decided to create one for herself.
“If you have an end goal, your journey is not always going to be linear getting there,” said Wilson.
Asked about the obstacles women face in the industry, the women noted they often suffered from imposter syndrome. Stafford said it kept her from applying for jobs that she wanted but didn’t think she was qualified for.
The panel also touched on topics such as how to overcome challenges (“Learn from everyone and everything around you,” said Segu) and what women need to see and hear to consider a career in tech (“Understand that the industry is broad and always changing. Opportunities you may not see now may be there in six months,” said Newton).
Kerswill said it’s important that women in tech support each other.
“Always be there, backing each other up,” she said.
Whatever the approach, MacGregor urged those in attendance to get involved – whether it was through events like Communitech’s bi-annual Tech Jams or tech meetups, which she noted aren’t just for the industry.
“You can be more than a cog in a wheel when you enter the tech space. You can truly develop something that didn’t exist before and that is really exciting,” said MacGregor, who pointed to programs such as Communitech’s Fierce Founders bootcamp and accelerator, which help women launch tech companies.
The night began with a tour of the Tannery building that is home to Communitech, Velocity, and several tech companies. Students networked with the women leaders after the panel discussion.
The goal of the night was to inspire women to question assumptions, while opening their eyes to a potential career in the tech industry, and feel empowered by the women who have done it, said Aquino.
First-year Conestoga College students Bohdana Tyshchenko and Alice Vynohradova said the women’s stories were inspiring.
“We don’t really know how to get involved and get a real job. This was helpful for us to understand where to start,” said Tyshchenko.
Rashmi Sanjay, who works at Christie Digital, was drawn to the event by a desire to connect with other women in the tech community.
“This gives me the motivation to keep doing what I’m doing,” she said.
Aquino hopes that women will leave the event feeling inspired to be assertive and start their own businesses whether or not they have the credentials.
“If you want to be a software engineer and found a company just go for it and don’t be afraid to learn as you go.”
