There is a gender gap in the tech industry and we're hoping to help change this by launching an ongoing ‘Women in Tech’ series which will shine a spotlight on female-identifying alumni working in this industry. Today's feature is Co-Founder of Accelerate and Graduate Software Developer, Jasneet Taak (Physics BSc, 2019).
What is it like to be a woman working in the tech industry?
Working in tech is amazing! It’s a contemporary industry with multiple avenues to explore. Though there still isn’t an equal representation of men and women within the field, the gap is thankfully narrowing! There are now more schemes and initiatives than ever before to encourage women to pursue tech related fields at university and after they graduate. At my work place, we have tech work experience schemes in place especially for girls, and I think this is a fabulous idea to encourage more women into the field!
What or who inspired you to pursue a career in the tech industry?
By attending an all-girls school, I saw the disparity of girls in STEM classes as opposed to arts and humanities from a very young age, particularly in tech. This prompted me to strive to increase female representation within these subjects. Thankfully when I started studying Physics at Queen Mary, I was surrounded by female lecturers and had female family members who were within the tech realm. This reassured me that women can and should pursue tech in terms of their education and their career. This gave me the courage to dive into the tech industry after my BSc. Now I can proudly say that I have a graduate job offer at one of the top 5 defence companies in the world as a software developer! Why do you think there is a need for more women/diversity in the tech industry?
I have witnessed first-hand how having a diverse range of people in the work place positively impacts the tech industry. Even a tiny bit of diversity goes a long way - from giving a larger pool of perspectives to having a broader range of skills within the project - diversity is key to a successful company. The more differing opinions present, the more likely a company, and a team, is to grow. I therefore cannot encourage diversity enough!