I always wanted to join in Military/Army services, to serve the country while growing up. The Influence came from the one and only one TV series I had ever watched when I was 5 years old. The main protagonist was a woman military officer. The passion continued until I turned 15 and then reality kicked in. I had to choose a career option that is viable and would make me employable. Technology was the next obvious choice and I decided to pursue electronics engineering. Early in my career, I developed curiosity, a skillset, and the courage to build a successful aspiring portfolio in the technology industry. There were many things that I wish I had learned before entering into the industry, but I am happy I was able to learn a lot through this journey. Obviously through a lot of great men in my industry.

It won’t be a surprise If I tell you that there are fewer women in the engineering technology sector than men. It’s not something unusual. But it always surprised me going into every boardroom meeting expecting to meet a colleague who is like me. I am an optimist. And I know that nobody is going to come to change this situation. If I need to see a change I better be part of it. These are 5 things I learned while working in the technology sector as a lead engineer and I want young girls to read this and empower themselves to enter into this field.

• You need to earn power

Working in Technology is not for faint hearts. Technology as a business is ever-evolving. So are you! Every day a new technology comes into the market with the aspirations to evolve and take over and you will witness the parade of good and bad technology. Your skillset is one of the key elements of your success in this path. And NO you don’t have to leave your career completely to improve your skillset, thanks to online platforms where you can take courses and classes that will help you to build your skillset in the field.Whether it’s programming, engineering, tech stack, architecture, network, cybersecurity you will definitely find a related course. Use it and learn something from it and practice it in your free time. Building a solid skill-based portfolio should be your focus. Courage, discipline, and attitude will serve you to the best. Don’t be a sell-out. Push your comfort zone and see the possibilities of new technology solutions.

• Opportunities are everywhere. Just be prepared and develop your skillset

There was a moment in my career when I was in a boardroom negotiating my salary with an executive panel. One of the key things my VP told me was “Anishia, you are asking for a raise because you are only thinking about money. Think about the opportunity in front of you”.I immediately corrected her saying “ Opportunities are out everywhere and I am confident that it won’t be difficult to find a new opportunity especially of a person of my caliber".I wasn’t being rude when I told this to her. Truly I believe that opportunities are everywhere. Both good and bad fortunes are the time of opportunity. You need to be prepared regardless of time. Learning new technology and building your skillset by working on it will develop that confidence.

• Learn from everyone-Good/Bad/Ugly/Extraordinary Leadership

I had several opportunities to witness first hand bad, good, ugly, extraordinary leadership. I took every single opportunity to learn what I don’t want and what I want to bring in my own character. Leadership is a character that you build early in your career. I guarantee you that you will have an opportunity to learn from each one of them. Have your eyes open and accept it. Don’t fall for the trap of fancy title per sake leader. Creating an impact is the strong power of leadership. And we need more technology leaders- Women. Women leaders bring in rare qualities of compassion, empathy, knowledge, and creativity into technology. And if you fail to find a representation do not get disheartened. This world needs more compassionate leaders like you. And if you BELIEVE in yourself you can be ONE of them.

• Be part of “The War Room” Conversation

What’s the best opportunity to learn while you are working in technology? “War Room” is not a mere concept that’s used in the field. It’s a real battlefield. One day you are fighting investigating issues that are affecting the network, another day you are implementing major changes in the infrastructure with vendors. You learn, debate, conceptualize and moreover will witness the first-hand end to end resolution of a problem. Being a part of a Severity A critical /high incident calls will give you the ability and opportunity to think faster and act quicker in less time. This will push you out of your comfort zone and will help you in learning in real-time. Some of the best memories I had was in the war room learning about network, architecture flows, program designs, and many others. So when this opportunity knocks at your door grab it with both hands and learn through this experience.

• You have a bigger mission in life. Never fail to chase it!

Technology will help you to embark on a journey to find a greater purpose in life. As a newbie, you will be learning and acquiring knowledge but once you start questioning the bigger questions it may be a sign that you need to start looking into your mission. Continue chasing for it until you find it. By working in technology, you’ll build a tireless attitude and curiosity to build new things and bring up new solutions that will change human lives. So be a part of it!