What a pleasure to feature Daniela in this 7th interview of the series of interviews Women in Tech. Daniela is a 30 years old web developer based in Germany. She is a career changer, so her experience can speak to people who want to change career paths but are not sure yet if they should do it and how to proceed. Also, she publishes great content on Instagram and YouTube, so make sure to check this out and follow her. She is very sweet and accessible.
I’ll let you read the interview to learn more about Daniela’s experience in tech.
Could you start by a small presentation so we can get to know you better?
Hi! I’m Daniela (I go by danascript on social media so Dana is also fine :)) I recently turned 30 and I’m a Berlin based web developer
What motivated you to work in a STEM field?
Computer programming is the best problem-solving tool available, and I love to solve problems. I got my first Story time! So, I was initially an architect (the one that designs spaces and buildings), I have a Master’s Degree in it and a couple of years of working in the field. That was happening when I lived in Ukraine. However, due to several reasons, I’ve migrated to Germany (with the thought of continuing being an architect) but things didn’t go as planned as well as I started reconsidering my life choices.
I needed a job which will fill out the main 3 criteria:
1. Be damn well paid;
2. Give me a visa;
3. International (not bound to country’s laws and language) ā enters tech.
Plus, I wanted to use the problem-solving skills I’ve used as an architect, and I’m a big fan of logic and puzzles, so coding seemed like a win-win in this regard.
How did you learn your technical skills?
I started step by step to first understand if that’s even what I want. I didn’t have necessarily the time to hop on another 4-year university degree as I was already in a foreign country and had bills to pay :). So after work, during the evening, I started doing bits of online courses, I recall the first one was from CodeCademy and learning the terminal. Then, through a very interesting chain of life events and people you meet at the right time and place, I got into a free coding school for 3 months (ReDi school) where I got to learn JavaScript, like really really basic. Then I met there another person who told me about another Bootcamp and after submitting my request for funding through the German government – I got the approval for a 9/12 months long Bootcamp!
So my first steps were around August/September and then bootcamp I got only in September the year after, which you could imagine that I had some time to work on my own skills in between. And because I did, I dropped out of the bootcamp after a 6-7 months as I got my first job as a junior web developer! š
How is it to find a job?
I can definitely say that the first job is the hardest to find. The second time, I was searching for a job with some experience – MUCH easier.
My recommendation – have a portfolio, put it on your CV, have a link to your GitHub profile and include your motivation/about you section! Especially if you’re a career changer!
Have you experienced imposter syndrome? If yes, could you tell us a little about it?
Oh for sure, I think this comes even deeper from the school education system and my ways of navigating it as a child. There’s this thing that if you’re not doing it like everyone else or no one tells you that you’re doing well, then you think you’re not. But you are. You are on your journey and everyone is doubting themselves. It’s probably a healthy thing, to a degree, to reflect on yourself but don’t let that stop you from achieving your goals!
How do you feel about being a minority in STEM as a female? Have you had any uncomfortable situations to share? Or a funny situation?
I had and sadly still have. I’m choosing my battles because sometimes they are just not worth my time, but if they are then I have loads of sarcasm in my pocket to shoot back š At the end of the day someone’s comments reflect only on their state of mind, has nothing to do with me.
What do you like about your job?
Well, in general I like coding for the problem solving and for the major power you have at your fingertips to create anything you want! Recently, I was dealing with an annoying task at work, so I created a tool to make it smoother for me to perform it. How cool is that?!
Are you happy with your career choice?
10000% Yes! And I’m also happy I joined it at the time I did.
How do you expect to grow in the future?
I have two directions :
- the corporate one : I want to keep climbing the ladder along with the knowledge I’m gaining and the responsibilities I’m taking
- the social media one : I want to reach more people and share my gained knowledge with them, to show them that they can enter tech too!
What would you say to a girl/woman who wants to start a career in STEM?
Go for it! There are so many options and paths that I’m sure you’ll find one where you can make a great impact and enjoy it. Also – tech needs you so come on in!
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Such an inspiring interview, it has motivated me to keep going Thank you Daniela and Sara!!
Thank you for your sweet comment Amani! Keep going, it’s not easy every day, but it is worth it š