What I learned from the women in tech in my life

Over my (still short!) career I was lucky enough to meet many people who inspired me to be a better professional and human being. I haven’t yet met many women in tech, but the few I’ve had the opportunity to get to know contributed heavily to my career and the direction I want it to take.

The value of free time

When I started my journey as a web developer, I was convinced that knowing more was the key to success.
To achieve this, I believed working all day (and sometimes all night) was the way to go. While I was becoming a better developer, I could not make any progress as a person.
The ability to detach and dedicate myself to me can greatly reduce the mental stress accumulated during work.

I’ve since changed my attitude towards my time and I am really able to enjoy my work and my own time when the workday is over.

The value of order

Distractions and disorganization are expensive in time for me and money for clients.
A disorganized employee can cost a company up to 20% of their annual salary every year.

As a remote developer, being organized can really make or break my work.
Spending a few minutes at the beginning of each day outlining what needs to get done can easily improve my focus and make me more efficient.

The value of inspiring others and making them succeed

I used to enjoy being the best in a team, it brings a nice boost to the ego, but I grew to understand it is a shallow objective.
Sometimes being the best in the room means you failed to raise others and with your inaction, did not contribute to the success of others.
A successful team is one where everybody is dedicated to the individual growth of each one of its elements. It is no use being the best if you don’t use your knowledge to uplift others.

I was once the guy saying “my team is full of idiots”. Once I started taking full accountability of my teams, my working environment has changed for the positive.

The value of diversity

According to Stackoverflow 2019 developer survey 91.7% of responders are men.

Men could have been perfectly capable of teaching me the same things highlighted in this article. But there is value in confronting different realities and points of view. In my case, this leads to adding more value to my life and work.

The real growth comes from working with people from different backgrounds and life experiences.
Embracing diversity leads to growth, an echo chamber to stagnation.

Thanks in no specific order:

• Kristin, my mentor and an amazing engineer
• Roxana, web developer
• Irene, web developer
• Britt, product manager