We interviewed Khusbu Rajendra, Analyst at Avanade on her experience and thoughts on women in tech.
1. What does your job role involve?
My role at Avanade combines the two areas that I am passionate about, technology and business as I work across a variety of sectors, supporting the technical and administrative efforts in digital transformation and migration projects. As an analyst, I am responsible for implementing industry recognised practises and supporting our clients in their transition to Microsoft Azure, I am also training to become an Azure Administrator and actively encouraged by my peers and manager to develop my technical knowledge and strengthen my interpersonal skills.
2. What made you choose a career in technology?
Technology was rapidly evolving when I was growing up and I recall walking into my primary school classroom and being intrigued by the capabilities of a beige box with Windows 2001 XP installed which allowed me to type into the world wide web, use Paint to crop and edit images from the Internet and Windows file explorer where I could save and edit files during a week without losing my work. I have been passionate about the workings of a computer, networking and all aspects related to technology from a young age and seeing the impact that technology can make on businesses, whether that be enhancing existing capabilities, simplifying cumbersome processes, and innovating with IoT, Big Data and the cloud, made me choose my career in this field.
3. Did you study an IT or technology related subject at GCSE, A-Level or University?
Yes I studied technology related subjects at all levels of my education, I completed GCSE ICT, A-Level Applied ICT, obtained a first class honours in BSc (Hons) Business Information Systems and as the saying goes, you never stop learning; I am learning and revising for my next set of Azure certifications.
4. Did you get any work experience in IT or technology before this role?
Prior to my role at Avanade, I have completed an internship at a major consulting company, technology graduate scheme at a pharmaceutical business and worked in the eCommerce deployments department of a major retailer.
5. Do you think there is a lack of females in the IT and tech sector?
Over the last few years, I have been companies and organisations doing more to diversify the work force and believe that the lack of females in IT and the technology sector is slowly being closed however we must actively work to ensure there is continued equality and diversity in the years to come.
6. Do you find there is a stereotype that a career in IT or technology is just for men?
I believe there was a view that a career in IT or technology is just for me, a few years ago however this is slowly changing as society and organisations are adjusting to remote working, equality in the workplace and holistic involvement.
7. What would entice women to study technology related courses?
More women would be enticed to study technology related courses if they were promoted early on in their education, reinforced by teachers, and supported by employers. I believe this is actively being done and as figures show, a diverse number of men and women now study technology related courses.
8. Are there barriers when it comes to women getting into tech?
No I do not think there are barriers when it comes to women getting into technology, these barriers are slowly reducing and ceasing to exist over the last few years.
9. How could we encourage more women to start a career in tech?
I feel there are many ways in which we could encourage more women to start a career in tech, most of which I provided in question 7.
10. What advice would you give to young women at the start of their career?
I would advise young women to follow their passion, work hard and network with like minded individuals and most importantly never be afraid to fail because failure leads to opportunities.
