Insight / Blog

Celebrating working in tech on International Women’s Day


Posted on 8th March 2022

March 8th is International Women’s Day, a global celebration of women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements.

The day has been in place for over a century, since the first International Women’s Day gathering in 1911 across Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. On that day, more than one million people attended rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote and hold public office.

They won those fights, but International Women’s Day is still held every year in celebration of the achievements we’ve earned so far, but also as a reminder of continuing movement to combat bias, discrimination and achieve gender parity.

Although it’s been declining slowly over time, the UK gender pay gap in 2021 sits at 15.4%. Tech Nation revealed that only 19% of the tech workforce are women.

We take great pride in our people at Doddle. In honour of International Women’s Day, we handed the mic to a few members of our brilliant team, to ask about what working in tech means to them and the advice they would give to anyone looking to start a career in tech. This is what they had to say.

How did you get into tech?

There’s no one single way to get into the tech industry. To highlight this, we started by asking how our team got into tech.

For some, it came down to chance, like Product Lead Rebecca Riiser.

“It wasn’t planned. I saw a job advertised at eBay. And I was a bit of an avid user back then. I wasn’t from a techie background, but I remember thinking about how I could apply my experience to this particular role.”  

The same was true of Product Strategy Lead Sandy Ferez, who previously worked for Amazon before joining the Doddle team. Starting within the Amazon marketplace team, she would talk to sellers to help them grow their business. Through the tools she and her sellers used, Sandy began to see the technical aspects of the company. As her curiosity grew, she took on new roles and started her journey to Doddle.

For People Advisor Theresa McGregor and Developer Talia Glantz, technology was a sector they knew they wanted to work with. Theresa started following companies in the industry to learn more and complete her research before applying. For Talia, this journey was a little more intensive and began with trying online coding courses while furloughed during the COVID pandemic.

“I did some foundation coding courses. And I couldn’t really stop; I absolutely loved it. [After], I realised that if I wasn’t going to make the career jump now, then I don’t know when I will.”

After this decision, Talia enrolled herself in an intensive coding boot camp at General Assembly before coming to Doddle.

Katie Langley, Global Sales Director, came from an entirely different background. Working in the fashion industry, Katie felt like she wasn’t making an impact. Speaking to a friend in recruitment, she was then introduced to the world of technology.

“I really liked the fact that working in sales, you get to be in control of your own universe. And, you know, the more effort you put in, the more you get to sell and the more customers you get to meet. I went for a few interviews for a few tech companies and realised that this was a really interesting sector to be in. There’s lots of change and lots of growth.”

What do you like most about working in tech?

“What I enjoy most is the fast-paced environment, the innovation and just the culture that often comes with a tech company.”

Theresa McGregor.

So, why work in tech? We asked our team to reflect on what they love the most about working in the tech industry to answer this one. 

A common answer was the fast-paced nature of the industry. Rebecca expanded by saying that because the landscape is ever-changing, there are “always new challenges to tackle and different opportunities springing up all over the place”. With new changes around every corner, you’ll never get bored working in tech.

Changes in the technology industry aren’t just passive. Sandy explains that being in this sector provides a fantastic opportunity also to influence growth and change:

“The thing I do love the most is that you can build almost anything you want. So I said with a lot of imagination and data points, you can merge those two and you can create really cool things.”

For Talia, part of the allure of technology is the people, and the process of working together to create smarter products and solutions. Speaking very highly of her coworkers, Talia remarked that “as soon as I walked through the doors at Doddle, I felt like I was with like-minded people that were on the same wavelength. It’s exciting, it’s really fun, a really cool environment to be in and atmosphere to be around”.

“Technology is involved in everything. And no matter what you do, or what you’re interested in, technology plays a part in so many journeys in people’s lives, you know, from the phone you use to social media, to having your parcel delivered. Technology is behind everything.”

Katie Langley

What advice do you have for people wanting to work in tech?

Lastly, we asked what advice and tips our team has for working in tech.

Rebecca leads with some advice: “if you want to move into tech, I would recommend that you just dive in”.

It may seem rather simplistic, but it’s echoed across the board. Sandy adds to this by saying you should jump straight in and “do your research, so you know what tech means. Match it with your skills and see where you get the best fit, and leverage those to make sure you focus on those areas to grow into. Also, be very curious. If there’s something you don’t know, try to connect with people that do know it”.

“Just remember”, Rebecca adds, “you don’t have to be technical to work in tech. There’s a vast range of skill sets needed by all tech companies. And always remember that your skills are cross transferable”.

“I think especially for women, there are so many courses that are so desperate to get women into tech. It’s amazing. And it’s so motivating knowing that there are people that really want you and need you in the industry”

Talia Glantz.

Reflecting on International Women’s Day, Katie also emphasises the importance of women taking up roles in tech. “There aren’t many women in the technology industry. And, you know, we need women to come in and bring a diverse opinion and bring a different perspective. So, go and talk to people. And keep interviewing”.

Finally, Sandy leaves us with one of her favourite quotes:

 “Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It is about changing the way the world perceives that strength.”

G.D. Anderson.

Want to work in tech?

Doddle is a leading tech company making ecommerce more delightful, profitable and sustainable for shoppers, retailers and parcel carriers.

To make that happen, we’re on the lookout for talented people just like you.


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