Did you know that in 2020, 41% of Singapore’s tech workforce was made up of women? Compared to the global average of 28%, that’s a huge difference. With Singapore’s ever-growing technology sector, it’s evident that women are becoming increasingly important in contributing to not just key areas, but also everyday processes in our tech landscape.
Here at 2359, we have no lack of amazing women among our talents. From design to engineering, all of them play a part in the important work that we do.
This year, for International Women’s Day, we are placing the spotlight on the women in our engineering team! Having a functioning tech project is only made possible by the work that they do behind the scenes. So every time you use an app or browse through a website, always know that it was made possible by an engineer.
Read on for our interview with our female engineers to find out about their successes, struggles, and also advice for other women.
Hi there! Could you do a quick introduction to tell us more about yourself and your role in 2359 Media?
Hello! I’m Celia, a software engineer that’s currently working with GovTech under our manpower augmentation team. In GovTech, I’m a part of the GoWhere team working on the SupportGoWhere site! So if you ever want to look for a variety of support schemes from financial aid to work and training support, you can always go to the site to check it out! Recently, we rolled out the Budget 2022 schemes on our site too!
When it comes to work achievements, what has been the greatest highlight In your 2359 Media journey so far?
Being able to work with GovTech to build products that are citizen-centric. Knowing that what we are creating has been extremely helpful for the citizens given the ongoing pandemic. To be able to provide support to citizens brings me a lot of pride and joy in my work. You’ve probably come across some GoWhere site – like finding out your nearest SASH clinic (flugowhere), or finding out where you can claim your CDC vouchers (cdcgowhere)!
As a female in the Tech Industry, have you faced any obstacles in your career path so far? If so, what were the obstacles and how did you overcome them?
One that I struggle with constantly is imposter syndrome. Being in the tech industry, it’s pretty natural that you would expect software engineers (SWE) to be “the smartest”, “the most logical” people in the room, given the nature of our work – we literally translate logic into code! How much drier can it look! But I was never the smartest growing up; I would say I was pretty average across the board. So it doesn’t help that there are times I would literally be reading someone else’s code and think “what the heck is going on here? Why is this accepted? Am I bad that I don’t understand what’s happening?”
But with that said, to overcome imposter syndrome (and unfortunately, it’s a constant battle), I’ve found myself continuously learning and growing. To keep reading other’s codes for example and also look at libraries, look at documentations; try to understand what is going on, why is it written in such a manner, and just keep digging for information. As long as we keep learning, growing and applying, we will one day look back at our old codes and see how much further we’ve grown as SWEs. And though there are days when imposter syndrome will creep its way back, we just have to keep swimming.
What’s the most valuable advice you have received?
I’m probably going to quote word for word and it’s pretty cheesy but: the best people aren’t always problem solvers, sometimes, they are the ones who will never give up even if they keep failing.
Don’t just stop and avoid problems that you don’t know how to solve. Instead, face it head on and just try, learn, and see what possible solutions are out there that would work. Having a growth mindset cannot be adopted as easily, so we have to learn to keep going and growing and trying.
Do you have a role model or someone that inspires you to pursue your current field of work?
There isn’t any particular role model, but in general, women in SWE roles, or any roles in the tech industry continue to inspire me and motivate me to keep moving forward.
Is there any great advice you would want to give to women that are considering a role in the Tech Industry?
If you want anything, just ask. If you don’t ask for what you want or what you need to feel supported, you will never know what is possible. Also, stay curious! Tech is ever changing and I find myself learning something new every day from working with my colleagues! 🙂
Hi there! Could you do a quick introduction to tell us more about yourself and your role in 2359 Media?
Hi! I’m Lien and I work as a QA Engineer for 2359 Media. I am responsible for testing the web and apps and making sure that it is ready for release.
When it comes to work achievements, what has been the greatest highlight In your 2359 Media journey so far?
Completing a complex and tight project for NUS. I contributed and helped to ensure it it could be released smoothly.
I also learned and applied performance testing and automation testing in the project. It helped me to learn a lot and this is also a part of the process to become a QA automation engineer which is something I have been pursuing.
As a female in the Tech Industry, have you faced any obstacles in your career path so far? If so, what were the obstacles and how did you overcome them?
I think that there are always going to be obstacles for anyone in the tech industry, regardless of gender and I think that one of the biggest obstacles is getting people to take you seriously as a tech professional. There are still a lot of people who think that tech is a “man’s world”
What’s the most valuable advice you have received?
The most valuable advice I have received is to never give up. There are going to be times when things don’t go your way and it might seem like giving up is the easiest thing to do, but it’s not. Keep fighting and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.
Do you have a role model or someone that inspires you to pursue your current field of work?
I don’t have one specific role model, but I am inspired by a lot of different people. I am inspired by anyone who is able to achieve their dreams and overcome adversity.
Is there any great advice you would want to give to women that are considering a role in the Tech Industry?
Network, network ! It’s important to build relationships with people in your industry. Another important thing is to have good communication between your team members so that everyone is on the same page.
Hi there! Could you do a quick introduction to tell us more about yourself and your role in 2359 Media?
Hello, I am Soe Yadanar Ko Htet and I am from Myanmar. I decided to come to Singapore three years ago to study and work in the tech industry. Currently, I’m working as a software developer in 2359 Media.
When it comes to work achievements, what has been the greatest highlight In your 2359 Media journey so far?
I helped to analyse and develop backend processing and construct the data structure of the application together with debugging and problem solving. It was a good chance for me to improve my skills and knowledge working on different projects. I am also trying to be a cloud architect.
As a female in the Tech Industry, have you faced any obstacles in your career path so far? If so, what were the obstacles and how did you overcome them?
Yes, there were a lot of difficulties and stress sometimes. I think I am quite lucky to have a nice boss and the colleagues in 2359 as I can share my difficulties and stress to them and they will help me out in whatever they can. Most of my difficulties were because I was not experienced enough for some features but my seniors guided me to help solve them.
What’s the most valuable advice you have received?
“Do your best in your work and take care of your health also. Health is more important!!!” That’s what my boss said and I really appreciate it because she not only focused on productivity but also worried for our health. And I think it’s good advice because productivity and a good coding practice is really dependent on your mood based on my experience.
Do you have a role model or someone that inspires you to pursue your current field of work?
Yes. Bill Gates is my role model. He is one of the founders of Microsoft and he has many qualities as a leader and he is also in the same field.
Is there any great advice you would want to give to women that are considering a role in the Tech Industry?
Firstly, and most importantly, it’s stress management. If you can manage your stress well I think the rest is easy going. Secondly, find a healthy working environment where your colleagues are supportive and can guide you. It’s really important because being a software developer you’ll need a wide range of knowledge as there might be something you never experienced before but you’ll still need to do because of requirements. In this situation, having supportive colleagues is very precious.
Hi there! Could you do a quick introduction to tell us more about yourself and your role in 2359 Media?
Hello! I’m Shirley, a software engineer that focuses on front-end development, mainly ReactJS and React Native.
When it comes to work achievements, what has been the greatest highlight In your 2359 Media journey so far?
Being able to develop applications for various platforms like web, mobile and even TV, ultimately shipping a few front-end projects for clients. It was interesting to work with every platform and it was enjoyable to adapt to them depending on the project.
As a female in the Tech Industry, have you faced any obstacles in your career path so far? If so, what were the obstacles and how did you overcome them?
When I first started out as a web developer, I had trouble making the code work accordingly and I did not know people whom I could consult and discuss with. Eventually, I learned to source for solutions and also made more connections here. In addition to development, I have gained experience and insights about people/project management, UI/UX and design.
What’s the most valuable advice you have received?
‘Never mind what others do: Do better than yourself.’
I find this very true as it is more important to focus on yourself, think of what you want and work on improving yourself. It is no use comparing yourself to others as everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.
Do you have a role model or someone that inspires you to pursue your current field of work?
I do not have a specific someone that inspires me. It was more of technology itself and how it drives many people to incorporate tech to enrich and improve the lifestyles of people.
Is there any great advice you would want to give to women that are considering a role in the Tech Industry?
It’s always thrilling to learn how technology works behind the scenes. Regardless of gender, as long as you have a curious mind, the endless possibilities in tech will surely excite you! Just give it a go as it doesn’t hurt to try.
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If you enjoyed this article, check out International Women’s Day 2022: Women Of 2359
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