As the pace of human technological power accelerates, the businesses who build that technology becomes more and more powerful themselves. And how do we ensure that society, under the influence of that power, doesn’t pitch headlong into some kind of technological dystopia of robot masters and Blade Runner-style squalor? Well, you put that technology — and the skills to use it — into the hands of as many people as possible, from all backgrounds, genders and walks of life. Democratize those algorithms!
In part two of our series on local women in tech, we spoke to four more Seattle-based engineers who hail from the half of humanity that remains underrepresented in the city’s tech scene. Read on to learn about how they ended up on the engineering career track, the challenges they’ve faced and what advice they have for those who want to join them.
When it comes to credit card processing, many small businesses are in a bind: customers rarely carry cash anymore, but the hardware and software they need to accept cashless payments is often expensive, with little in the way of convenience or support from major providers. Gravity Payments seeks to balance the scales, providing credit card processing, e-commerce, point-of-sale solutions and more for small business.
Director of Engineering Jen Peck said she found herself drawn to the tech industry after teaching herself to code.
Share the story of how you got into engineering.
About 10 years ago, after leaving a miserable accounting job, I decided to develop an e-commerce platform selling shoes in large sizes for women. After about nine months of teaching myself how to code, I realized tech was where I belonged, but my first formal tech role was as a business analyst on the store technology team at Nordstrom (where I’d previously been working part-time to pay the bills). If it wasn’t for my manager, Lisa Tanaka, giving me a shot, I’m not sure how far along I’d be today.
Don’t offer to take notes in meetings; sit at the head of the table next to the CTO and find ways to get your name out there.”
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career, and how have you worked to overcome it?
I’m a self-taught engineer, so finding ways to show I’m worthy of a technical role has always been my biggest challenge. Eventually, I learned the languages needed to get through whiteboard interviews, but then I networked until I found a group of people who were not just willing to interview me, but were excited about my technical and non-technical skills.
Any advice or tips for other women pursuing a career in engineering?
Find other women you can support and advocate for and be ready to advocate for yourself. Don’t offer to take notes in meetings; sit at the head of the table next to the CTO and find ways to get your name out there. Your success will hinge on your ability to sell yourself as someone trustworthy and important, but you will have to do more work than the average man to prove you’re worthy of respect.
Bellevue cloud-based SaaS company Apptio helps businesses manage and optimize their IT spending. The company’s suite of software products include tools for managing cloud service provider bills, IT spending, breaking down costs by vendor and department and forecasting for future budgets. The company went public in 2016, then went private again last year when Vista Equity Partners bought out the company’s stock at a 53 percent premium for shareholders.
Senior Software Development Engineer Wenjie He studied Spanish and sees plenty of parallels in the way spoken and coding languages shape the culture of those who speak them.
Share the story of how you got into engineering.
I wasn’t interested in engineering until I took my first computer science class in college. I liked how projects in that class challenged me to turn interesting concepts into visual outputs while also allowing me to explore creative ways to make the end products unique to me. I decided to minor in Spanish in college first, since I have always been passionate about learning languages and I love the way different grammars and cultural contexts shape communications among people. When learning computer languages, I found similarities between the two. I was fascinated by the way coding translates ideas into something concrete in one’s own way of “speaking” and how it serves as a means of expression.
The artistic and engineering sides of you are not exclusive — they define you together as a whole.”
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career, and how have you worked to overcome it?
When I transitioned to another team and got a project that I had no prior knowledge of, it was hard to believe in myself since everything was new and there seemed to be so many things to learn. I overcame the initial panic and fear by setting small milestones, and focused on a few things at a time. The most important first step is always being willing to try.
Any advice or tips for other women pursuing a career in engineering?
Don’t just choose to do something because you can do it; choose because you want to do it, even if that means you are stepping out of your comfort zone. Find something that motivates you both inside and outside of work. There are lots of opportunities out there that could recognize your potentials, and a variety of projects that not only provide a great learning experience for you, but a way to help others.
Don’t let others’ words and labels define you. Try to find a way to integrate computer science with other passions of yours. The artistic and engineering sides of you are not exclusive — they define you together as a whole.
Bellevue-based Seagull Scientific’s BarTender software creates labels, barcodes and RFID tags for businesses. The company has clients in the pharmaceutical, retail, food, logistics and aerospace industries who use the software to organize and track products as they make their way through convoluted production lines.
Software Quality Assurance Engineer Gael Guerard transitioned her career into the industry in her 40s, moved to Seattle and has since worked with some of the region’s biggest tech firms.
Share the story of how you got into engineering.
At age 43, while working as a clerk for a government agency, I went back to school and got an MA in computer information from Webster University. After graduating, I moved to Seattle, where I got my first tech job supporting Windows 95 at Keane, a vender company working for Microsoft. Over the next three years I did IT support contract jobs for Microsoft and Boeing.
I got my first job in QA at Microsoft, testing the localized version of NetShow Server as a contractor. After Microsoft’s Netshow (now Media Player), I worked on Internet Explorer for over a year testing the ISP side of the browser. I then worked full time as a QA Engineer at RealNetworks, where I stayed for several years. Later, I moved into testing apps on cell phones and hand-held devices for almost five years, which included three years with AT&T.
For the last few years I have been on the QA team at Seagull Scientific. It’s been my best job yet, with all the bells and whistles! I love the atmosphere and work ethic here.
When I first decided to get into the tech industry in 1993, there were not many training options.”
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career, and how have you worked to overcome it?
My first big challenge was getting the training I needed to get into tech. When I first decided to get into the tech industry in 1993, there were not many training options. I was fortunate that a college extension existed on the Air Force Base where I worked, and I was able to get a computer-related degree by attending classes at night after work.
In 1996, getting the first tech job seemed daunting. There were not that many tech jobs in Albuquerque — and especially for women. I found pages of jobs in a Seattle newspaper and decided to head for the Northwest! Moving to Seattle was the best choice I could have made.
Any advice or tips for other women pursuing a career in engineering?
My best advice is to keep learning and realize you are never too old to learn, change, take on a new challenge or do something new and different. Do what’s in front of you, but always be looking and open to new opportunities. Take calculated risks.
One last bit of advice is don’t take things personally — as you never really know what someone else is thinking — so best not to stress out about the unknown or out of your control.
Unity Technologies makes tools for developers to build games along with 3D, VR and AR experiences. Those tools have ended up in apps used on a staggering 2.7 billion devices in the last 12 months. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company recently topped Built In Seattle’s Best Places to Work in 2019.
Software Engineer Abba Pamela Nelson recommends finding a mentor or, at the very least, someone to bounce ideas off of.
Share the story of how you got into engineering.
I got into engineering a little bit by accident. I went to the University of Nevada, Reno with aspirations to become a math teacher but quickly discovered that teaching wasn’t for me. When contemplating my next major, one of my friends said, “Hey, you’re really good with computers. Maybe you should try computer science.” As soon as I took my introductory courses in computer science, I knew it was the perfect fit.
I frequently remind myself that not everyone knows everything, and that’s okay!”
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career, and how have you worked to overcome it?
My biggest career challenge and probably an ongoing challenge is overcoming my impostor syndrome — I have a tendency to doubt my abilities. To mitigate that, I always try to get to know coworkers. Once you realize they are human beings who also have questions and make mistakes, it really helps. I also frequently remind myself that not everyone knows everything, and that’s okay!
Any advice or tips for other women pursuing a career in engineering?
Always try to find a mentor. It doesn’t matter the level you’re at or the focus of your career, engineering or otherwise. And it doesn’t have to be a formal mentor, it could be someone that you know can be a resource for you in a specific area. At my last job, I didn’t have a mentor and it was really difficult to not have someone to turn to, even just to bounce ideas off of.
