In 2018 the share of female employees working in Information Technology industry was less than 30% in Finland. There have been several attempts to improve the situation and encourage women to work in tech industry.
Many researches show that women are keen to join the tech industry, but they are often concerned whether the company culture supports diversity. However, many of those who have joined have been happy with their career choice.
Here at Piceasoft, we consider ourselves lucky because we’ve been able to attract great female talent. For example, for SW development, testing, management and even for the CEO role.
We talked with three Piceasoft ladies, Pauliina, Tiia and Sarianne who shared their perspectives and experiences on working as a woman in technology.
Q: Pauliina, Tiia and Sarianne, tell us a bit about yourselves and what you do?
Pauliina: As an HR and Finance Manager, I am responsible for human resources practices including talent management, work culture and wellbeing. I also look after our financials, budgeting and reporting, so my job at Piceasoft is quite versatile in nature. I’m also a mother of three small children and they keep me busy when I’m outside of the office.
Tiia: I’m a 3rd year student in Computer science. I joined Piceasoft 1,5 years ago as a trainee. Now I work as a part time UX Design and Customer Support Assistant taking care of various tasks within usability and customer support while continuing my studies at Tampere University for the master’s degree.
Sarianne: My journey with Piceasoft started about the same time when the company was established. I now work as a Senior QA Engineer and mainly focus on testing, specifically on PiceaServices Volume product. I also help customer support with training and solving potential customer issues and provide feedback to product development.
Q: What made you choose the tech career?
Pauliina: My educational background is in business, and Piceasoft is the first technology company for me. I am interested in the opportunities and benefits technology provides. There are constant changes in the industry, and we are moving forward all the time which is fascinating.
Tiia: After graduating from high school, I didn’t have a clear career path on my mind. In fact, it was my current colleague from Piceasoft who suggested me to apply to study Computer Science at the Tampere University. I applied and got in, even though I have never really been strong in mathematics, for example. However, I believed in myself and that’s what really counts. Since then, my interest towards technology has been constantly growing.
Sarianne: I have always been interested in technology. Shortly after my studies in Information Technology, I joined Nokia where I worked for over 9 years in the field of testing and software integration. Many of my colleagues back then are now my colleagues at Piceasoft, so I was lucky to be able to continue my career with great co-workers.
Q: What has positively and negatively surprised you?
Pauliina: From my perspective, it is a positive thing that people are very motivated towards the constant change and appreciate continuous development and innovation. On the negative side, it is sometimes challenging to manage the workload and keep up with a healthy work-life balance when the pace of technology is as fast as it is.
Tiia: When I started at Piceasoft, I was a bit nervous that I would probably be the least experienced person on my team. However, I felt immediately welcomed and quickly realized that I am qualified for the tasks I’ve been chosen to do. I also understood that when you are working with technology, even the most experienced colleagues don’t always have immediate answers to every question. But working closely together we are able to solve even the most challenging problems. And in the end, it is such a positive feeling when you realize that you found a solution.
Sarianne: For me it has been an entirely positive experience. I really like the industry and we constantly work with new things. It is fun. You get to learn something new all the time and our products and their features are all the time improving as the technology evolves.
Q: What would be your advice to young girls who are considering their career choices?
Pauliina: There are many career options within technology companies. As technology is significantly changing so does the way we work. It may be difficult to separate home and working life, especially for mothers with small kids. I strongly believe in holistic wellbeing. So, whether you are at home with kids or in the office at work, always focus 100% on what you are doing at the time. This helps to support your growth and development both professionally and personally.
Tiia: Don’t let old stereotypes restrict your own career aspirations. It is ok not to know what your dream career or job is. Trust yourself and follow your own path. Take advantage of career opportunities you did not even think of before.
Sarianne: I can certainly recommend technology field for women. Maybe it is because of our company culture at Piceasoft, but as a woman you are treated equal to men. The expectations are the same for women, so you have similar opportunities.
To learn more visit:
Website: www.piceasoft.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/piceasoft
About Piceasoft Ltd
Piceasoft is a Finnish company, located in Tampere. Since it was founded in 2012, Piceasoft has created a unique set of software solutions to cover the whole lifecycle of mobile devices. These solutions create new business opportunities and enable a cost-efficient service for mobile operators and retail chains. Our innovative products are disrupting mobile device buyback, repair and recycling business. Our software products are easy to use and offer added value to the end user, which means better ROI and user satisfaction. In short, we promise to Simplify Your Mobile Life.
