> Markdown version of [/videos/551-fireside-chat-with-lea?t=467](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/551-fireside-chat-with-lea?t=467). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Fireside Chat with Lea Think legacy code is dead? Software developer Lea reveals why languages like Assembler still run banking, sharing her unexpected journey into mastering mission-critical financial systems. - **Speakers:** Lea Fragner - **Event:** WeAreDevelopers LIVE - **Published:** April 18, 2023 - **Duration:** 30:21 - **URL:** https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/551-fireside-chat-with-lea ## Summary In this fireside chat, software developer Lea shares her unexpected journey into the tech industry, beginning at an Austrian technical college where she initially struggled with programming concepts and debugging. Despite feelings of isolation as the only girl in her class for several years, a strong support system of family, dedicated teachers, and diversity advocates helped her build the resilience necessary to succeed. Today, she works as a consultant for Beko, demonstrating how practical schooling and early tech exposure can successfully guide young women into software engineering roles. While her formal education focused on modern technologies like Java, C#, and SQL, her current role in the banking sector requires maintaining and migrating mission-critical financial applications using legacy languages like PL/I and Assembler. Navigating an age-diverse team has proven highly advantageous; lacking comprehensive internet documentation for decades-old languages, Lea regularly relies on the deep domain knowledge of senior client colleagues. She highlights that for large-scale, time-sensitive financial calculations, this older tech stack remains remarkably fast and resilient compared to modern alternatives. Addressing the broader industry challenge of female representation in IT, Lea emphasizes the need to dismantle binary stereotypes pushed by media and gendered childhood toys, advocating that girls be equally encouraged to explore technical subjects. She advises early-career developers that programming "is just a combination of tools you use to solve a puzzle" and encourages newcomers to not let the debugger break their confidence. Ultimately, her experience underscores that engaging in continuous problem-solving, finding an inclusive client environment, and maintaining fulfilling outside hobbies are essential to thriving in the technology sector. **Keywords:** women in tech, software engineering career path, legacy codebase maintenance, PL/I programming language, financial sector software applications, assembler language usage, stem education stereotypes, dismantling gender bias in IT, cross-generational developer teams, IT consulting client integration, tech workplace inclusion, debugging software errors, overcoming developer imposter syndrome ## Chapters 1. **Discovering technical colleges through public employment centers** (00:03) — Utilizing public employment centers helps students without a specific direction uncover paths to software development. 1. **Overcoming frustrations with debuggers in school** (02:11) — The impact of debugging errors on self-confidence reinforces the value of strong educational support frameworks. 1. **Entering the industry via consultancy models** (04:07) — Finding early job opportunities through local marketing eases the transition into independent work on client sites. 1. **Managing flexible routines and asynchronous communication** (07:47) — Starting the day with asynchronous coordination helps properly structure remote and entirely flexible consulting workflows. 1. **Embracing age diversity to learn legacy code** (09:03) — Collaborating with veteran engineers provides unique mentorship styles and access to undocumented legacy programming knowledge. 1. **Combating gender bias and promoting early inclusion** (14:18) — Dedicated diversity resources in technical schools protect students from discrimination and help dismantle societal barriers. 1. **Navigating strict environments for enterprise banking** (20:40) — Safely coordinating critical incident responses and organizing complex data migrations is essential for heavily regulated financial clients. 1. **Evaluating the execution speed of legacy tech stacks** (23:20) — Foundational systems utilizing legacy languages remain highly critical for executing high-speed end-of-month banking calculations natively. 1. **Applying systemic planning as a dungeon master** (26:32) — Preparing role-playing campaigns requires robust asset creation and complex encounter balancing logic outside of standard work activities. 1. **Embracing error resolution as a programming puzzle** (27:44) — Viewing debuggers as essential analysis tools empowers engineers to treat challenging software bugs as engaging mechanical puzzles. ## Related Moments - 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