A ‘non-techies’ journey to leadership

Nine months ago, in the height of the pandemic, I wrote my first ‘non-techies’ journey to tech article. Whether you’re in the, ‘2020 feels like an episode of Black Mirror’ camp, or for the less dramatic folk, blinked and 2021 is now only three weeks away, it’s been a ride! Fast forward to the closing month of 2020, ‘the year that keeps giving’, and a gruelling interview process, I’ve been promoted to tech leadership! To say I’m thrilled would be an understatement!

Over the summer, I have spotlighted other women in tech who have non-traditional, or to stay on brand, ‘non-techie’ backgrounds. I’ve also written about tech’s diversity issue and the importance of role models. In technology, this plays out in many forms, from having non-diverse teams to deficient and biased AI tools, plus more. It’s important for under-represented groups within the field, whether you’re a woman, Black, Asian, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent or sitting at multiple diverse intersections, to share stories, especially where ‘the road less travelled’ was taken. I have been pleasantly surprised over the past year of people dropping me a note to say they read an article and felt inspired to pursue their career change into technology.