{"id":6000,"date":"2020-11-18T09:59:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T08:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sodapl.com\/?p=6000"},"modified":"2022-10-24T09:00:24","modified_gmt":"2022-10-24T07:00:24","slug":"women-can-do-it-the-girls-who-create-color-and-promote-the-it-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sodapl.com\/en\/women-can-do-it-the-girls-who-create-color-and-promote-the-it-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Women can do\u00a0IT: The girls who create, color, and promote the IT world"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Women Can Do IT is a new project of Software Development Association Poland, in which we want to demystify IT for women and present this industry as a place for everyone, regardless of their previous experience.<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In\u00a0the next episode of the series, we\u00a0talk to\u00a0UX designers and marketing specialists: Marta Mielcarek, Senior Product Designer at\u00a0SoftwareMill, Agnieszka Kuprianowicz, Marketing Specialist at\u00a0Angry Nerds, Aleksandra Dziewulska, Deputy Head of Design at\u00a0Divante, Natalia Strawa, UX\/UI Designer at\u00a0HTD and Marta Domasz, Marketing Specialist at\u00a0WP Desk.<\/p>\n

Did you start your career from IT? What is your educational background and previous professional experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Natalia:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u00a0studied Computer Science at\u00a0the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. This program pushed me\u00a0to\u00a0take a\u00a0pursuit in\u00a0IT. The knowledge gained during my\u00a0studies made me\u00a0believe that despite what people may say, nothing is impossible [laughs]. During my\u00a0second year there, I\u00a0started a\u00a0research club with my\u00a0friends, as\u00a0a\u00a0part of which I\u00a0could learn more and more about UX. I\u00a0was also admitted to\u00a0an internship in\u00a0Italy, where I\u00a0learned more what design and usability studies were about. This internship later helped me\u00a0get my\u00a0first job back in\u00a0Poland.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Natalia Strawa, UX\/UI Designer at HTD<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Marta Mielcarek:<\/strong>\u00a0I also graduated in\u00a0IT \u2014\u00a0during our second year, we\u00a0had classes about User Experience taught by\u00a0people working in\u00a0Allegro, who extended their UX departments. I\u00a0thought it was cool, and programming wasn\u2019t exactly a\u00a0thing I\u00a0wanted to\u00a0do\u00a0in\u00a0the future. UX is still IT, but from a\u00a0different perspective, and it was such a\u00a0natural direction. Now, I\u00a0don\u2019t really use any programming knowledge directly, but it significantly improves my\u00a0communication with developers. It also shows that even if we\u00a0don\u2019t want to\u00a0work as\u00a0programmers, it is good to\u00a0complete at\u00a0least a\u00a0basic programming training.<\/p>\n

Marta Domasz:\u00a0<\/strong>When I\u00a0was still very young, I\u00a0already decided that my\u00a0passion would be\u00a0my\u00a0work, and that is how I\u00a0started to\u00a0work in\u00a0tourism. Pretty unconventionally, as\u00a0I\u00a0chose my\u00a0major to\u00a0suit my\u00a0future career, and not the other way around. When I\u00a0started to\u00a0study tourism and recreation, I\u00a0found out this specialization was mainly about recreation, and I\u00a0would need to\u00a0delve into tourism on\u00a0my\u00a0own. After some longer and some shorter travels, moving in\u00a0and out around the whole Europe, I\u00a0settled in\u00a0Bydgoszcz, Poland for good and found out that there were people who would pay me\u00a0to\u00a0travel. My\u00a0another passion was technology. I\u00a0had always known I\u00a0wouldn\u2019t be\u00a0able to\u00a0stay away from IT technology, growth, innovation. The ability to\u00a0kind of foresee the situation on\u00a0the market, changes in\u00a0my\u00a0private life, and the feeling of stagnation in\u00a0tourism led me\u00a0to\u00a0a\u00a0career in\u00a0e-commerce.<\/p>\n

Aleksandra:<\/strong>\u00a0I started my\u00a0career in\u00a0IT 20 years ago. These were still the ancient times when to\u00a0create your own website, you needed to\u00a0put your shoulder to\u00a0the wheel and learn programming. I\u00a0wanted to\u00a0make a\u00a0website on\u00a0degus, so I\u00a0learned a\u00a0little bit of HTML, PHP, and basic hosting. This website had been a\u00a0number one on\u00a0the market for many years. Then, I\u00a0had an episode of creating websites, starting blogs and e-shops for others. I\u00a0helped to\u00a0develop such products as\u00a0Vetopedia. Then, I\u00a0started studying \u2014\u00a0first sociology, then psychology, in\u00a0order to\u00a0learn more about a\u00a0human being, social relations, how a\u00a0human works inside, what pushes a\u00a0person to\u00a0make specific decisions. Before starting my\u00a0studies, I\u00a0came across UX and realized that it\u2019s a\u00a0perfect combination of my\u00a0passion for technology and for a\u00a0human being. I\u00a0got accepted into the program which was probably the first such specialty in\u00a0Poland \u2014\u00a0UX at\u00a0SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, as\u00a0a\u00a0part of a\u00a0European grant. This is where I\u00a0can create apps, products which are used on\u00a0a\u00a0daily basis and affect what is going on\u00a0around us. For the last 13 years, I\u00a0have been conducting research and workshops in\u00a0Design Thinking methodology.<\/p>\n

Agnieszka:\u00a0<\/strong>My\u00a0path in\u00a0a\u00a0nutshell: from an art historian to\u00a0an IT marketing specialist. I\u00a0studied history of art at\u00a0the University of Wroc\u0142aw, as\u00a0a\u00a0part of individual inter-area humanist and social studies. So, I\u00a0have a\u00a0diploma in\u00a0the area of history of art, but this interdisciplinary field of studies also let me\u00a0participate in\u00a0many classes in\u00a0different specialties, e.g. on\u00a0communication design. During my\u00a0studies, I\u00a0was also involved in\u00a0different types of volunteer work, which later led me\u00a0to\u00a0take up a\u00a0job in\u00a0the Marketing Department of the National Museum in\u00a0Wroc\u0142aw. It was a\u00a0great experience. I\u00a0could learn a\u00a0little bit of everything, what you do\u00a0in\u00a0marketing, as\u00a0well as\u00a0see in\u00a0detail how work in\u00a0the area can look like. After 3 years, I\u00a0felt that I\u00a0would like to\u00a0extend my\u00a0experience by\u00a0trying something new, working in\u00a0a\u00a0different sector than culture. I\u00a0chose IT \u2014\u00a0the world of technology had been interesting to\u00a0me\u00a0since I\u00a0was a\u00a0child, and in\u00a0the museum I\u00a0was involved in\u00a0the creation of a\u00a0mobile app for one of the exhibitions. What is more, my\u00a0husband changed his job at\u00a0that time, starting to\u00a0work as\u00a0a\u00a0UX designer for one of Wroc\u0142aw startups, so I\u00a0had a\u00a0chance to\u00a0directly observe how creating digital products worked, and I\u00a0liked it a\u00a0lot. This is how I\u00a0ended up at\u00a0Angry Nerds, where I\u00a0deal with all marketing activities.<\/p>\n

What do\u00a0you value the most in\u00a0your current position?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aleksandra:<\/strong>\u00a0I value the possibility to\u00a0manage my\u00a0own team, the fact that I\u00a0can lead young designers to\u00a0areas which give them better careers, support them, give them power to\u00a0develop. I\u00a0also really appreciate the possibility to\u00a0learn from my\u00a0juniors, from their different perspectives not affected by\u00a0experience and routine. What I\u00a0love about technology in\u00a0general is that it can greatly change the world. The fact that someone, somewhere there, can just easily buy groceries online during the pandemic substantially changes someone\u2019s life. We\u00a0also had customers whom we\u00a0helped switch to\u00a0remote work within a\u00a0short period, and technological solutions that we\u00a0suggested helped save people\u2019s jobs. What we\u00a0have all considered just coloring in\u00a0pictures is really a\u00a0job that truly changes people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Aleksandra Dziewulska, Deputy Head of Design at Divante<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Marta Domasz:\u00a0<\/strong>The answer to\u00a0this question is simple to\u00a0me. I\u00a0value development. Not only growing personally and that my\u00a0current company allows me\u00a0to\u00a0do\u00a0it, but also a\u00a0dynamic industry development. I\u00a0like looking for fulfillment and I\u00a0love changes at\u00a0work. Working in\u00a0widely understood marketing allows me\u00a0for such development, and e-commerce is one of the most dynamically developing industries, in\u00a0which the state-of-art technologies are introduced the first.<\/p>\n

Marta Mielcarek:\u00a0<\/strong>For me\u00a0the coolest thing is my\u00a0great independence, as\u00a0I\u00a0also am\u00a0a\u00a0one woman army [laughs]. And the responsibility is, surprisingly, very good, as\u00a0it is sometimes worth thinking something through 5 times before pursuing it. I\u00a0like this situation now, but we\u00a0will see how my\u00a0brain is going to\u00a0work in, say, 30 years [laughs]. It is all cool for young people, especially generation Z, who want to\u00a0grow and significantly affect product development.<\/p>\n

Agnieszka:<\/strong>\u00a0I agree with Marta Mielcarek 100%. This independence, transferring from a\u00a0position in\u00a0a\u00a0big marketing team to\u00a0an autonomous position was a\u00a0challenge for me, and I\u00a0like it a\u00a0lot. I\u00a0love working with people, but I\u00a0also like doing some things my\u00a0way [laughs]. Now I\u00a0can try out different ideas, having a\u00a0lot of freedom to\u00a0take initiative. This independence, the trust placed in\u00a0me, and space to\u00a0act teach me\u00a0a\u00a0lot and allow me\u00a0to\u00a0grow.<\/p>\n

Natalia:\u00a0<\/strong>In\u00a0IT and in\u00a0my\u00a0company, I\u00a0can constantly grow in\u00a0every area of my\u00a0interest. I\u00a0started from designing interfaces, and then I\u00a0experienced workshops with customers and found out how they differed from an ordinary meeting, learned about the communication with customers and collecting requirements. It is still very interesting to\u00a0me. Even if I\u00a0achieve a\u00a0satisfactory level at\u00a0one of my\u00a0career paths, I\u00a0suddenly realize that there are still so many other undiscovered lands in\u00a0front of me. I\u00a0also love the possibility to\u00a0learn from others, not only other Designers, but also from Product Owners and Developers.<\/p>\n

Your greatest professional success in\u00a0IT?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Natalia:\u00a0<\/strong>Here, I\u00a0would like to\u00a0primarily focus on\u00a0the fact that I\u00a0have found something that I\u00a0love and am\u00a0passionate about. When I\u00a0studied programming at\u00a0the university, ironically, I\u00a0was afraid that there will be\u00a0no\u00a0place for me\u00a0in\u00a0IT, as\u00a0I\u00a0didn\u2019t find programming very thrilling. My\u00a0smaller success is for sure the fact that 1.5 year ago, I\u00a0set some professional objectives with my\u00a0development partner at\u00a0work, and when we\u00a0looked through them recently, we\u00a0realized that, in\u00a0fact, all of those objectives had been achieved. And that\u2019s what is great \u2014\u00a0I\u00a0set ambitious objectives, and thanks to\u00a0this industry and environment, I\u00a0am\u00a0able to\u00a0achieve these goals.<\/p>\n

Marta Domasz:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u00a0am\u00a0glad you are asking this question. In\u00a0Poland, it is still believed that a\u00a0woman should be\u00a0quiet and modest, and she certainly shouldn\u2019t boast of her achievements! That\u2019s nonsense! We\u00a0are competent, talented, and strong, so we\u00a0should speak up! What I\u00a0consider my\u00a0professional success is my\u00a0ability to\u00a0build relations not only with my\u00a0co-workers or\u00a0business partners, but mostly with those who are skeptical about sales, marketing, or\u00a0message that I\u00a0am\u00a0trying to\u00a0create. That is what drives me\u00a0to\u00a0action. I\u00a0am\u00a0also certain that the biggest success that I\u00a0will be\u00a0able to\u00a0brag about will come soon.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Marta Domasz, Marketing Specialist at WP Desk<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Agnieszka:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u00a0have already thought about this question, and I\u00a0guess I\u00a0would like to\u00a0approach it thinking that my\u00a0biggest success is still ahead. It is really motivating. When I\u00a0speak about success, I\u00a0understand this term broadly, because for me, my\u00a0success at\u00a0work is not only about a\u00a0positive feedback that I\u00a0get about my\u00a0actions. What is much more important are relations with people, customers, which I\u00a0can build with everything I\u00a0do. Good relations with a\u00a0customer, based on\u00a0smooth communication and mutual understanding that we\u00a0are on\u00a0the same team is a\u00a0great success. That is why I\u00a0try to\u00a0take actions which strongly support the sales department and ongoing project works.<\/p>\n

Aleksandra:<\/strong>\u00a0I think that my\u00a0success is surely switching from freelance work to\u00a0a\u00a0corporate position, where I\u00a0built my\u00a0own team, which includes extremely creative people. My\u00a0other successful action was establishing procedures which allow for a\u00a0wider approach to\u00a0our work with customers and refraining from being just a\u00a0business partner, which gradually shapes the UX maturity of my\u00a0organization.<\/p>\n

Marta Mielcarek:<\/strong>\u00a0I have been working as\u00a0a\u00a0lecturer for 3 years, and last year I\u00a0also started to\u00a0teach one block of classes in\u00a0a\u00a0postgraduate UX program at\u00a0SWPS. I\u00a0find great satisfaction in\u00a0teaching others. I\u00a0started my\u00a0UX\/UI career on\u00a0my\u00a0own, I\u00a0had to\u00a0organize my\u00a0knowledge myself, without support from any mentors. Thanks to\u00a0that, I\u00a0understand my\u00a0students\u2019 confusion and know which information they need the most at\u00a0the initial stage of their professional work.<\/p>\n

What surprised you the most about working in\u00a0IT? What is different about than it is commonly believed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Natalia:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u00a0was surprised that the IT environment is different than what I\u00a0had seen at\u00a0the university. People are open to\u00a0feedback and development. Thanks to\u00a0that, we\u00a0can create a\u00a0great team of mutually supporting members.<\/p>\n

Marta Domasz:\u00a0<\/strong>Developers with whom I\u00a0cooperate really do\u00a0not sit in\u00a0their basements. They are not antisocial or\u00a0withdrawn [laughs]. I\u00a0really like the freedom and comfort of remote work.<\/p>\n

Aleksandra:<\/strong>\u00a0I started my\u00a0career in\u00a0the times when programmers really sat in\u00a0their basements [laughs]. It has really changed by\u00a0now. There is one strong stereotype which we\u00a0need to\u00a0face, that IT is only for \u201ctechnical\u201d people, which is completely untrue. You don\u2019t have to\u00a0be\u00a0a\u00a0programmer nor have an analytical mind to\u00a0work in\u00a0IT. In\u00a0this industry, you can also work in\u00a0marketing, product design, etc. This work is equally important and enriching for the company and its growth. Another unfair stereotype is that women cannot program. I\u00a0have recently seen a\u00a0perfect example from Japan. An 80 year old woman noticed that there are no\u00a0games for the elderly. She learned how to\u00a0program and developed a\u00a0simple game. Programming is not difficult and honestly, everyone can do\u00a0it. This applies also to\u00a0other IT areas, like product design, business analysis, or\u00a0widely-understood advisory services.<\/p>\n

Agnieszka:\u00a0<\/strong>When it comes to\u00a0stereotypes, all of mine quickly got shattered [laughs]. Though, I\u00a0must say I\u00a0have never really had many specific ideas related to\u00a0the IT industry, but there was this vision of a\u00a0typical IT specialist somewhere at\u00a0the back of my\u00a0head. When I\u00a0started working in\u00a0my\u00a0company, I\u00a0verified if there was really any correlation between my\u00a0imagining and the reality. So not really [laughs]. This industry is really diverse when it comes to\u00a0people, which is just great. I\u00a0have even become a\u00a0kind of a\u00a0\u201cpreacher\u201d among my\u00a0friends, who keeps repeating: \u201cWorking in\u00a0IT is not what you think it is [laughs]\u201d. I\u00a0like the fact that the way I\u00a0imagined this work culture, freedom to\u00a0choose your tools and the loads of creative energy turned out to\u00a0be\u00a0true.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Agnieszka Kuprianowicz, Marketing Specialist at Angry Nerds<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Marta Mielcarek:<\/strong>\u00a0I was surprised that the world of IT does not stick to\u00a0any strict frames and is spontaneous. When I\u00a0was reading about different theories on\u00a0processes and how you should use methodologies, it often turns out the practice is completely different \u2014\u00a0many of them have to\u00a0be\u00a0shortened and adjusted to\u00a0a\u00a0given project. You often need to\u00a0find a\u00a0balance between different methodologies to\u00a0achieve the best result in\u00a0a\u00a0pretty short time. Of course, there are no\u00a0perfect solutions, but after completing many projects, you have better intuition for choosing suitable actions for a\u00a0given situation. That is why I\u00a0definitely believe in\u00a0Practice > Theory.<\/p>\n

What else are you striving for? What are your professional objectives?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Agnieszka:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u00a0love planning and coordinating actions, strategy is definitely my\u00a0marketing hobby. In\u00a0the future, I\u00a0would like to\u00a0create a\u00a0perfectly working team of people specializing in\u00a0specific areas of marketing. I, myself, would then be\u00a0happy to\u00a0take care of more global matters related to\u00a0a\u00a0marketing strategy, communication and branding to\u00a0a\u00a0larger extent.<\/p>\n

Natalia:\u00a0<\/strong>As\u00a0of now, I\u00a0have a\u00a0strong need to\u00a0help other people in\u00a0their careers. In\u00a0my\u00a0company, we\u00a0are currently working on\u00a0such an ideal internship program, which will start in\u00a0January 2021. I\u00a0would like to\u00a0give those people something I\u00a0didn\u2019t have at\u00a0the beginning \u2014\u00a0a\u00a0mentor\u2019s support. Our workshops with people who are only starting their career in\u00a0IT show us that the beginners need a\u00a0person who can tell them what they do\u00a0wrong and what is fine. Without such support, it is difficult to\u00a0go\u00a0beyond certain levels.<\/p>\n

Marta Domasz:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u00a0have several professional objectives, but I\u00a0mostly focus on\u00a0one coherent mission related to\u00a0high quality. I\u00a0don\u2019t want to\u00a0give everything away, but, for example, one of my\u00a0objectives is promoting the culture of remote work as\u00a0\u2014\u00a0in\u00a0my\u00a0opinion \u2014\u00a0the only right way to\u00a0work in\u00a0IT during these times. Here I\u00a0would like to\u00a0mention that WP Desk, with which I\u00a0currently cooperate, has worked remotely basically from the very beginning of company\u2019s operations, and I\u00a0have also been working this way for a\u00a0long time now \u2014\u00a0not only because of the events from the last couple of months. Of course, I\u00a0also have an objective related to\u00a0my\u00a0own career growth, which I\u00a0have been regularly executing for many years now. This is where I\u00a0carry out smaller tasks within this objective by\u00a0doing specific courses, trainings, and meetings. The financial objective also matters here, as\u00a0after all I\u00a0do\u00a0need to\u00a0collect some money for my\u00a0early retirement [laughs].<\/p>\n

Marta Mielcarek:<\/strong>\u00a0For sure, I\u00a0would like to\u00a0be\u00a0up-to-date with my\u00a0UX and UI knowledge. I\u00a0am\u00a0now highly motivated and engaged at\u00a0work, but I\u00a0don\u2019t know how the situation will have changed till I\u00a0am\u00a050 [laughs]. I\u00a0hope that my\u00a0desire to\u00a0learn and my\u00a0engagement will stay with me. It would also be\u00a0great to\u00a0have my\u00a0own team with which I\u00a0could work, teach less experienced members, and share knowledge.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Marta Mielcarek, Senior Product Designer at SoftwareMill<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Aleksandra:<\/strong>\u00a0I would sure like to\u00a0start a\u00a0mentoring and training program, which would not be\u00a0based on\u00a0textbook and university knowledge \u2014\u00a0this one is provided at\u00a0universities just fine \u2014\u00a0but on\u00a0real examples of methodologies and ways of working with customers. I\u00a0would like to\u00a0protect juniors with their open heads and theoretical knowledge from a\u00a0harsh reality check with the market. Apart from that, I\u00a0would like to\u00a0deal with complex UX strategy development for my\u00a0company, and to\u00a0create a\u00a0reference point for Product Design in\u00a0my\u00a0and other companies \u2014\u00a0a\u00a0reference point which would show that this industry is not only about creating interfaces for customers, but it can also carry out the whole digital transformation, which means building UX maturity in\u00a0organizations. We\u00a0want to\u00a0make a\u00a0transition from providing a\u00a0ready-made solution to\u00a0finding a\u00a0solution together with customers.<\/p>\n

What advice would you give to\u00a0those who want to\u00a0work in\u00a0IT?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Agnieszka:\u00a0<\/strong>The most important thing is not to\u00a0be\u00a0afraid. Sometimes it may seem that something is extremely difficult and beyond our reach, but once we\u00a0face it, it turns out to\u00a0be\u00a0much easier than we\u00a0thought. We\u00a0also should believe in\u00a0ourselves more \u2014\u00a0we, women \u2014\u00a0there is nothing we\u00a0are not suitable for. IT is not only programming. You can find an IT area for yourself where you will feel good and be\u00a0able to\u00a0find professional fulfilment. Don\u2019t be\u00a0afraid of errors or\u00a0unfortunate ideas. Even if something seems too crazy or\u00a0goes beyond the frames of what we\u00a0have been doing \u201cforever\u201d, it is worth giving such an idea a\u00a0try. Thanks to\u00a0that, you can learn a\u00a0lot and discover completely new directions.<\/p>\n

Marta Mielcarek:\u00a0<\/strong>When you want to\u00a0change your industry, it is easy to\u00a0get lost in\u00a0reading more and more books, articles, and postponing the practical part for later. It\u2019s the same with programming \u2014\u00a0there are tutorials, but if you don\u2019t sit down to\u00a0programming yourself, if you don\u2019t try to\u00a0make your own project, you will never learn it. I\u00a0started UX trainings when I\u00a0was already working, only to\u00a0organize the knowledge that I\u00a0had already had back then. Don\u2019t be\u00a0afraid to\u00a0act!\u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Aleksandra:<\/strong>\u00a0For sure, to\u00a0not be\u00a0afraid. IT is not an industry for chosen ones. It is a\u00a0great industry, in\u00a0which you can get promoted both vertically, but also horizontally, completely changing the area in\u00a0which you work. Secondly, be\u00a0curious. If during a\u00a0meeting you hear a\u00a0word you don\u2019t know, google it, follow trends and thematic groups on\u00a0LinkedIn and Facebook. Another thing is to\u00a0think about your career two steps ahead. The generation of our parents used to\u00a0spend 20 years in\u00a0one job, but now the world is rapidly changing. It is important to\u00a0think all the time how to\u00a0increase or\u00a0change our competences.<\/p>\n

Natalia:\u00a0<\/strong>The most important thing is find a\u00a0person who will tell you what you are doing wrong. Many people don\u2019t know it, they keep making the same mistakes in\u00a0their projects, and it is very difficult for them to\u00a0get to\u00a0higher levels. You also need to\u00a0be\u00a0open to\u00a0accept constructive criticism, treat it simply as\u00a0feedback and get the best out of it. It is also important to\u00a0find your first job as\u00a0quickly as\u00a0possible, because experience is crucial nowadays. It is also worth being open to\u00a0other people, who will later help us develop in\u00a0this career.<\/p>\n

Marta Domasz:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u00a0could give dozens of such tips for every branch of IT, specific organizational culture of a\u00a0given company or\u00a0even the whole industry, but my\u00a0main one is: don\u2019t be\u00a0afraid. Be\u00a0self-confident, strong, focus on\u00a0your qualifications. Work on\u00a0your competences. Never stop growing. The day when you don\u2019t step forward in\u00a0IT will also be\u00a0a\u00a0day when you take a\u00a0step back. In\u00a0my\u00a0opinion, it is worth taking part in\u00a0IT industry meetings, which recently have been organized online, so there are already many excuses which we\u00a0can\u2019t use to\u00a0justify ourselves in\u00a0order not to\u00a0take part in\u00a0such events. Thanks to\u00a0such meetings, we\u00a0can get to\u00a0know the industry, employers, and potential work opportunities.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Women Can Do IT is a new project of Software Development Association Poland, in which we want to demystify IT for women and present this industry as a place for everyone, regardless of their previous experience. In\u00a0the next episode of the series, we\u00a0talk to\u00a0UX designers and marketing specialists: Marta Mielcarek, Senior Product Designer at\u00a0SoftwareMill, Agnieszka […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4445,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,885],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-study","category-soda"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWomen can do\u00a0IT: The girls who create, color, and promote the IT world - SoDA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Women Can Do IT is a new project of Software Development Association Poland, in which we want to demystify IT for women and present this industry as a\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sodapl.com\/en\/women-can-do-it-the-girls-who-create-color-and-promote-the-it-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Women can do\u00a0IT: The girls who create, color, and promote the IT world - 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