Director of Sales at Oshyn ; Sitecore MVP
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started?
I was born and raised in Canada but have lived outside my country for half my lifetime (USA, France, UK). My career began in marketing, then business development, and back and forth – currently I head up sales and agency partnerships. My education is deliberately diverse – I have a Bachelor of Science in what was supposed to be Political Science, Philosophy and Economics – but I skipped at statistics class to make it to the September start date for my Masters degree in marketing. My career experience is a mix of circumstances, chance and being okay with making my own rules versus adhering to the status quo.
What does a day in the life look like for you?
I’m happy to be working at home again. Personally, creativity and strategy flow better with the tranquillity the home office brings: less disruption, no bright lights. My days vary a lot. Somedays I’m focused on following-up with clients, chasing new deals, some days I’m plotting out new presentations or writing new content, and of course, on more exciting days I’m writing contracts. Some days I seem to be jumping from call to call to call across meeting platforms and mobile. Of course, I’m always trying to ramp up my product knowledge!
Was there ever a time that you wanted to give up when pursuing a career in tech? What kept you motivated?
A lesser-known story about me is that I started to teach myself to code on a Commodore Vic 20, then a Commodore 64 in the mid 80s. I was very young and very intrigued. In high school, I was top of my class in Computer Science. However, due to unfortunate circumstances, I was unable to complete the entry requirements to CS degree programs at the time. I gave up on the idea of programming. Somehow I fumbled my way into studying creative advertising and then marketing. Eventually my marketing and business development career intersected with technology! From there I found it was fairly frequent to be dismissed or spoken-down by people who were technical. I found I had to defend my understanding of tech a lot. Over time I found motivation in self-acceptance. I have never followed the status quo. I’ve always been an outlier. I question everything. I’m not afraid to challenge ideas or people. I feel happiest when I’m working in a more strategic side of business where I’m problem-solving, innovating…a. change agent. That is my comfort zone, where I perform the best and am the most motivated.
What challenges do you see for women in tech today?
I preface this with – Thank you to the men who have been supportive and encouraging! There are a lot of challenges that are not new. And of course, no challenges are applicable to everyone. But some I think are some seldom spoken about. Based on personal experience, despite what laws say, women experience challenges and setbacks related to having children from pregnancy and throughout their younger years. I think for women in tech, continuing to advance education is crucial but it’s also deeply challenging, more so for those who are solo parents. For example, the amount I’ve paid in childcare in the last few years is a huge chunk of the cost of an EMBA or MBA.
Do you have any advice or tips for women looking to start their careers in tech? What do you wish you had known?
Find tech communities to be a part of. Find mentors. Find things that you are passionate about. Don’t be scared to try new things – you only live once. I wish I had realized at a much younger age that when people are mean or bully others it’s because of their own insecurities. One of the most important things to learn is to be comfortable in your own skin. Oh and here’s a thought to keep you grounded – even Neil Armstrong suffered Imposter Syndrome.