Spark Advisors Inclusion & Diversity

Describe your experience as a woman in engineering. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced, and how have you overcome them?

Since my first computer science class in college, I’ve gotten used to being one of the only women in the room. As a CS and gender studies double major — one of just two at my university — making engineering more inclusive has always been a priority. In the workplace, that meant being the only woman on my team and spending significant time in ERGs and community spaces. My male peers generally didn’t take on the same commitments, giving them more time for visibility and advancement. At the same time, I often had to defend my work; not based on merit but because it was assumed I didn’t fully understand it. Having men explain back the algorithm I wrote or take credit for the idea was exhausting and time-consuming.

What’s helped: First, be transparent. If your team doesn’t know what you’re juggling or what bias looks like, they can’t help change it. Also, take advantage of your community spaces! ERGs are a great chance to build cross-functional relationships. Ask non-engineers about their pain points. Listening closely can lead to impactful work for your team. Secondly, your perspective is a strength. Difference drives creativity. And when imposter syndrome hits, fake it. 

What are your professional goals, and how has Spark Advisors enabled you to pursue them? What career growth resources/opportunities are available?

I’m hoping to grow into a technical leader, which Spark has greatly supported me with by hiring me on to manage our data function. I’ll acknowledge that this is the best-defined path for growth in the engineering space — from individual contributor to manager to director and onward — so promotion paths have been relatively standard. That said, Spark was able to bring me on in a player-coach role, which has really allowed me to understand our architecture from a technical perspective. I’ve been able to be a much better manager and technical resource with the understanding of how things are working under the hood. Additionally, Spark really thinks about current talent when making staffing plans: How can we help the talent we already grow? What are their career goals? This has been invaluable as the company grows.

What advice do you have for women in engineering or other technical roles regarding how to identify a company and team that will support their growth and development?

This is a great question! Here are some surface level things: Pay attention during interviews. Are there any women leading technical interviews? Do any of the interviewers mention women they work with? What about diversity as a value at all? Are you being talked down to during your coding interview? 

Ask questions: It can feel really scary to ask about diversity during interviews. Ask questions like, “Are there resources for female engineers at this company, and how many non-male identifying engineers work here?” If a company responds poorly to those questions, that’s a big red flag. The interview process is as much for you as it is for the company!

Look for salary transparency. Even if a company doesn’t have the salary band for the role published directly on the job description, they should be able to speak to this and their overall philosophy toward salary. A part of being valued as a woman in engineering is being paid like the men in engineering!