Meet the Women of Vivid

Vivid is a quite young company, but despite our age, we’ve already set up our own team-formation approach. Today Vivid is a team of 400+ enthusiasts from different backgrounds, nationalities, genders, work experience and hobbies. Even though fintech is still considered a mainly male-dominated area, we are proud to note that a significant part of our tech team consists of fabulous women who are knocking down gender stereotypes with their professionalism and expertise. We spoke with them and found out how they entered IT and what challenges they were facing.

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Beginning of the journey

Most of our female employees felt an interest in technology since an early age, studying in special schools and top tech universities specializing in ICT, mathematics, physics, etc. As children, they were fascinated by computers, cell phones and electronic toys that were actively appearing at that time. Some of them were also inspired by parents or relatives who worked in IT. However, career choices were not so easy for everyone: parents’ disapproval, limited opportunities for a high-quality education, and a fear of making a wrong choice were all common concerns.

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Why IT?

The answer to this question for each woman was approximately the same: IT is a dynamic industry where you're constantly facing new challenges and required to broaden your horizons. If there's one thing for certain, technology will always change and advance, which means your job is never boring. In the meantime, as an IT professional, you have the chance to create life-changing products that are based on customer needs and evolving trends.

Marina (iOS dev, SuperApp Circle): ‘Having the ability to create something beautiful with just your brain and laptop is simply wonderful. Knowing that you are helping so many people around the world encourages me to grow as a professional’

Evgenia (Business lead, Crypto team): ‘My motivation comes from the fact that I have a broad range of responsibilities and can implement any of my ideas, which will ultimately affect product development and business performance.’

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Is equality a reality?

It would be nice if this question did not exist, and as many women worked in IT as men did, and they are never facing discrimination. However, statistics still show the opposite from time to time.

Tatyana (QA Automation Engineer of Processing Platform): ‘On average, there were fewer girls at the university than boys. At the same time, sometimes this resulted in others being more loyal to us, and sometimes on the contrary, they underestimated us, so we had to prove our skills and knowledge. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses regardless of gender, and if I didn't succeed in something, it wasn't a cause for worry, but a reason for self-development.’

In reverse scenarios, teachers and colleagues did not believe women could accomplish a difficult task or project by herself without any help.

Alyona (Product manager): ‘Early in my career, I faced dissatisfaction from some of my colleagues who complained that some young girl was assigning them tasks. I was being required to prove myself. But later they themselves began to seek out my advice.’

Some of our respondents note that women in general face a lot of pressure, even in childhood, when they are expected to meet social standards as well as to behave and look a certain way. Additionally, employers are likely to question their marital status, plans for children, and the ability to overwork and handle a large workload. Women become discouraged by all this and doubt their own abilities.

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A few tips 

It seems like there is no universal recipe for a young woman to become a cool IT professional, but still our colleagues give us a few tips that helped them:

• School and university provide basic fundamental knowledge that isn't always immediately applicable in practice, but don't underestimate the value of education. Gained knowledge and skills might be helpful for you in future, sometimes even in very unexpected moments
• You will be very lucky if you determine from an early age the plan for your future professional development. If this did not happen and you did not get the choice of specialty right the first time, this is also perfectly normal. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try something new – it will enable you to see the world from a different perspective.
• It is never too late to start your development in technology. Professional literature, online communities, meetups, courses, all these are available (and in many cases for free) for each of us.
• To succeed in IT, you need to be proactive and agile. Over time, trends change, and your skills tend to lose their relevance. Staying on top of the latest trends & news is vital.
• Make mistakes without fear. As our System analyst, Ilana, said: “We are always inspired by success stories, but at the same time we are avoiding failure stories. But learning from mistakes, your own and others', is crucial."

The most important guidance for both young men and women is to begin their development as early as possible and try to be bolder. Explore internships, projects, tech-related contests and championships, monitor the labor market even before you graduate. It will help you not only to become a competitive candidate for your future employer, but you'll also have a better grasp of what role you want to pursue within the tech industry.

IT is a large and complex industry, but it is good because almost anyone can find something they like within it. Make mistakes and learn from them. Communicate with people who can teach you something. Avoid those who demotivate you. And don't forget to rest :)