What advice would you give women on how to succeed in the tech industry?
I would say to them that they should be brave! Don’t be afraid to take risks, make decisions and take responsibility. It is human to make mistakes. If you don’t make mistakes, you won’t learn anything, which means you won’t develop personally or be successful in your career.
At DEKRA DIGITAL, we have the motto “fail fast, learn fast”. Not every idea has the potential to be followed up. Occasionally, unprofitable projects or ideas are abandoned. However, what may seem like a professional failure at the time is actually an important step in your personal development and should not be underestimated.
As a second piece of advice, I would like to offer the following: Seek out role models! Women in the tech industry often lack role models and mentors with whom they can talk as equals. Women who want to pursue a career deliberately do not address their questions and ‘concerns’ to male superiors so that they are not classified as ‘weak’. A mentorship can help here. Women can benefit from the experience of others, which can help them steer the right course both professionally and privately.
This is precisely why I would like to use my pioneering role and share my many years of experience with other women. To reduce women’s reservations about IT jobs, we are currently working on a mentorship program to appeal to female tech talent and give them insights into the world of DEKRA DIGITAL. I will be on hand as a mentor to provide advice and support for further career planning and, with a bit of luck, we will help some talented people enter the company directly, as I was able to do back then.