In the scope of the initiative www.it-feuer.ch the Swiss Informatics Society (SI) publishes portraits of women in IT from June to December 2021. SI has been looking for female role models and found many women who have made their way into IT even if IT is still a men’s world.
In 2020, only about 10 % of all IT apprentices and computer science students were women. IT is still a male industry. Why ? Not all men have a steep career in IT, have a lot of influence and high salaries. But today nearly all middle and upper management positions in IT companies are held by men and most computer science professors are male. SI wishes to contribute to a change and looks for women working in IT who are fond of their job and who would like to encourage young woman to enter IT. Many young women are lacking good role models, but they exist. Hundreds of women have graduated in Computer Science or finished an apprenticeship in Switzerland since the middle 1980s and are now working in industry or academia – as software developers, scientists, computer specialists, consultants, project leaders, group leaders, CTOs, CEOs, etc. SI gives these women a stage and makes their stories visible.
We have published the interviews in batches, having started with eleven interviews on June 11, 2021. On August 20 and October 4, we have added nine more interviews each. On December 6, we have concluded the interview series with eight more interviews. Enjoy reading them!
The quotes are messages to teenage girls who think about their further education and future profession.
Interviews published 2021-12-06 |
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Corina WinklerIT and digitalization manager, cedac AG“IT is a lifelong playground for dedicated & creative minds. The beauty of IT is that you can continuously develop and discover new things. And, at the interface to the business departments, you have your finger on the pulse.” |
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Nevena LazarevicData scientist“Audaces fortuna iuvat — Fortune helps the brave.” |
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Dörte UlrichScrum master“Working in IT is diverse, creative and exciting — and certainly not just a domain for men.” |
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Jolanda KaufmannProduct manager SAP topics“IT is always on the move, constantly facing new challenges – it is always exciting and challenging – and many attractive topics are waiting for you!” |
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Pallavi Kanchana Vinay GopalICT architect“Don’t ever sit in your comfort zone and lock yourself away from challenges because you think you are not good enough. Instead, in every phase of life, try, fail and learn. Then automatically one point you will learn and succeed. And, most importantly, repeat the cycle again and again.” |
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Lisa Gaedke-MerzhäuserPhD student at Università della Svizzera Italiana“I believe that a society can only be truly equal if it is equally shaped by everyone.” |
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Sofija HotomskiSenior requirements engineer“Do not go into IT just to fix the strange statistic. Nothing is wrong with you if you are not excited about IT. But if you are interested in learning about IT and someday working in the IT sector, you should know that there is no single reason not to do it.” |
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Marianne GutknechtSenior business engineer and head SVV evaluation unit, Bedag“Life is moving, enriching, reality and fascination at the same time! |
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Interviews published 2021-10-04 |
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Martina AmackerData Warehouse Engineer“There are many aspects hidden in IT: Social skills, pedagogy, linguistic talent, creativity, technology, mathematics, etc. If you like to learn new things and are eager for knowledge, you will feel at home here.” |
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Nataliia StulovaSenior Researcher, University of Bern“The question to ask yourself is not if you can do it, the question is how you do it.” |
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Annett Laube-RosenpflanzerProfessor & head of the Institute of Data Applications and Security, BFH“Don’t leave technology to the lads!” |
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Mélodie PelletApplication developer“You don’t need to have any prior knowledge to go into the IT field” |
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Susanne WengerIT consultant at CSI Consulting AG“Be open-minded and curious.” |
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Angelika Bieri BürkiProduct owner change and release management“Informatics is not just for nerds; it offers a wide range of exciting activities.” |
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Nadine JaunSenior project manager
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Priska AltorferManaging director and entrepreneur
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Monika StenglExpert data, analytics & AI engineer“If you are curious, try it and be surprised: IT is so much more than programming – and it’s really fun. It’s important that we women contribute to shaping IT.” |
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Interviews published 2021-08-20 |
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Andrea EgliTest manager“No matter which path you are choosing: with enough curiosity and perseverance, you can become everything you want.” |
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Somala ImhofIdentity access management (IAM) engineer“Whatever profession you are choosing, don’t be discouraged.” |
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Katarzyna WacProfessor at the University of Geneva“There is nothing you can do wrong. Just follow your passion. The rest will arrange itself.” |
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Milica MarkovicSoftware engineer“The world of IT is colorful and has much to offer – be courageous and dive in!” |
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Andreia Faria CarvalhoSoftware engineer“Pursue your own goals.” |
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Fiona DuffyNetwork engineer“Follow your passion and have fun.” |
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Irene Susanna BucherTest automation and quality engineer“Just do it!” |
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Regula MeierSenior solution engineer“IT is not just for guys or nerds, and social skills also matter in IT!” |
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Myriam FischerSoftware engineer“Everything can be learned in IT!” |
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Interviews published 2021-06-11 |
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Andrea KennelEntrepreneur and lecturer“Informatics is communicative, creative and helps shape the future. Engage and get involved in one of the many areas of Informatics.” |
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Arianna BlasiResearch assistant at Università della Svizzera Italiana“May your curiosity be stronger than your fears. I believe no human being is fearless, and no life choice is easy. But passion and grit can lead your way through it all.” |
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Barbara WeberProfessor and dean at the University of St. Gallen“Informatics is extremely versatile, provides great benefits and is an awful lot of fun.” |
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Claudia StuckiIT system specialist at ETH Zurich“The most exciting sights are usually not located next to the train station. Orientate yourself and also go in a direction that not everyone gets displayed on their city map.” |
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Katja SchiblerIT project manager“Informatics is more than 0 and 1. It is the basis for trendy products and services in today’s everyday life, in which you can incorporate your ideas. Cooperation and communication in a team is of essential importance. And as a woman you are just right here!” |
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Nora SailerEntrepreneur, software developer“Imagine how you will feel in the future when you get up in the morning and imagine your workday. Does it feel tough? Leave it alone, because you will probably have to spend many years with that tough feeling. Does it feel motivating? Then it might be something for you.” |
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Nathalie AebyICT system engineer“Informatics is such a big field, there’s something for everyone.” |
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Ulrike GlavitschCTO in her own start-up company„IT is diverse, interdisciplinary and offers many career opportunities.“ |
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Monica LandoniSenior researcher at Università della Svizzera Italiana“Choose what makes you excited and challenges you. You can make the difference!” |
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Carolin BaumgartnerSecurity officer in the tax office of the Canton of Berne, Lecturer UniFr“Just do it 😊.“ |
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Sharol Süess-O’ReggioProduct owner“You are in charge of designing your life. Your circumstances are your raw materials. They will to an extent impact the path you take. Some of them can be controlled or influenced. Others are like gravity – they are a given that you can’t eliminate, but you can use to your advantage.” |
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Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the effort and commitment of all women who contributed an interview to this project.
Priska Altorfer, Ulrike Glavitsch and Rebekka Masson created the SI IT Fire Interviews project. They designed the questionnaire, solicited interviews and collected them. Ulrike also copy-edited the second, third and fourth batch of interviews.
Priska, Ulrike and Rebekka are members of the SI Board and are committed to getting more women into IT.
Martin Glinz took care of copy-editing the first eleven interviews, designed the web pages and, partially with support from the SI Office, published all interviews in SIDM, the SI Digital Magazine. He is a member of the SI Board.
