October 13 is Ada Lovelace Day, an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements that women have made in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM). Aptly named after Ada Lovelace, who is considered to be the first computer programmer, the day is also about increasing the profile of females in STEM, and providing a platform to encourage other women to enter a STEM field.
In the tech industry women are often under-represented, with women holding about 14% of software engineering and 25% of computer-science-related jobs. At Flux we’re proud to have a progressive mix, five out of our seven executives are female and we strive for diversity and equality across the organisation.
With technology being an international language we know that diversity is so important to be able to reach prospective clients from all over the world. Having a diverse workforce means we can tap into different perspectives and engage in varied and innovative solutions to problems, it also allows us to build strong relationships with a broader range of prospective clients.
We asked some of the kick-ass women who make Flux so successful to share why they love working in tech (and in doing so hopefully inspire some future female tech stars to join the industry).
I CAN WORK WITH PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT SKILLS
"For me technology is really about people. Great technology is an enabler - to solve problems and make things better. I appreciate being able to work with people with all sorts of different skills and to deliver great outcomes for people." Nikki Bloomfield, VP People and Practice
I CAN HELP OTHERS
“I love that in tech, I work to solve people’s problems. I have the ability to impact many people’s lives, hopefully for the better. The definition of engineering is problem solving and with technology you can scale to reach more people.” Ashlyn Baum, Product Manager
I CAN CHASE OPPORTUNITIES
“I get a thrill every time I find a solution to a problem. And an extra big thrill if the solution is elegant and intelligent. Being in tech gives me lots of exciting opportunities.” Leslie Kemp, Software Developer
I FEEL CHALLENGED
“I really enjoy the overall challenge. Constantly learning new things and challenging my thinking gets me out of bed each day. I also love knowing that I am contributing to part of everyone's future.” Stephanie Barrett, Product Specialist
I HAVE SO MANY CHANCES TO LEARN
“There are endless learning opportunities. You can be working on solving very complex problems either through collaborating with others or having time out on your own to come up with ideas to share. You simply never stop learning because technology evolves and changes over time. Keeping up with that is a journey and a pleasure.” Sarone Thomson, Product Manager
I’M SUPER EMPLOYABLE
“Studying computer science wasn’t a popular option for girls when I was growing up in Latvia. I remember some raised eyebrows in the first few years of my career when trying to explain what I do in IT, but I feel like it has changed so much since then. Since I graduated at 20 I’ve been able to find jobs in four different countries - I think that’s one of the main things I love about working in tech.” Aija Zvidrina, Team Lead
I CAN CREATE IMPACT
"I can partner with really smart people to create impact - working with engineers, product managers, sales people, customer teams is challenging. It calls for deep listening, radical commitment to the goal, holding many perspectives, and negotiating. I love it. Outcomes are greater, it's satisfying, and often those people become part of my lifelong community of practice." Amanda Judd, Head of Design
