Ashley Janelle @ Caterpillar Inc.
How can we proactively make a change to achieve equality and inclusion in tech? It's International Women's Day in March and Orbis are dedicating the entire month to celebrating the womxn of Tech and Design. If we want more women in tech, we have to do more than want. Our team felt we needed to share stories from the industry, told by voices with first-hand experience. All of the exposure International Women's Day kicks up is critical, not just for our own education as a business, but also to support the exposure of gender equality and inclusion in tech. These stories are not told by a company or PR, or any other bias perspective. These are the real women of tech shaking up the industry.
Ashley Janelle
UX Coach and UI Designer
Caterpillar Inc.
Hey Ashley, what was your personal career journey into tech?
I actually have a bachelors in Interactive Arts and Media which encompassed web design, graphic design, and coding but no UX.
After working as a designer for a few years I decided to go back and learn UX. From there I have been working as a UX designer ever since.
What do you think leaders could do to help support gender equality within their teams?
Hire more women at various levels within the organization.
Having women at every level allows other women to see themselves represented in those roles so they too can feel comfortable not just at that company, but also advancing to higher roles.
Widening that point, how can businesses adapt to ensure they are enhancing women with their careers?
Businesses can do a better job with first learning how to best grow the women in their organizations. I don't believe that something like this can start without there being a huge effort to learn and be more intentional about how they are going to help women become their best selves at work.
What are your top 3 tips for women looking to break into tech or progress from their current position into a tech role?
Do your research on as many roles within the tech industry as you can. This will allow you to make a very insightful and educated decision on what you decide to go into.
Don't allow what you don't know to hold you back from applying for a role. Obviously within reason, but if there is something small that you can learn on the fly or don't mind taking a quick course on and really working to understand, go for it.
Don't allow imposter syndrome to make you feel like the tech industry is not for you. There are a ton of women in tech!
In tribute to IWD’s 2021 campaign, what do you choose to challenge?
I choose to challenge myself to continue lifting as I climb.
