Fireside Chat with Lea

What if the programming language you used at work was older than you are?

#1about 1 minute

How a career fair suggestion led to a tech career

A visit to a public employment center introduced the idea of attending a technical college, sparking an unexpected passion for IT.

#2about 2 minutes

Dealing with debuggers and building self-confidence

Early struggles with software development were caused by confusing debugger errors that negatively impacted self-confidence.

#3about 1 minute

Finding a first job through brand recognition

Seeing a company's colorful billboard on a highway repeatedly led to brand recognition and a successful job application after graduation.

#4about 2 minutes

The independence of working as a consultant

The consulting model provides independence by placing employees directly at the client's site, reducing daily interactions with their direct manager.

#5about 1 minute

A flexible workday and engaging company culture

A typical day involves flexible hours, checking for new tasks, and staying informed about company social events like go-karting and gaming tournaments.

#6about 3 minutes

Learning from colleagues with deep legacy code knowledge

Working on a team with a wide age range is advantageous for learning an old programming language like PL/I, as experienced colleagues are the primary source of knowledge.

#7about 2 minutes

Onboarding and integrating into the client's team

The onboarding process as a consultant involves being accompanied by a manager and being welcomed as an equal member of the client's team from day one.

#8about 3 minutes

Contrasting gender bias experiences in school and work

While the current workplace is gender-balanced, technical school was challenging as the only girl in the class, highlighting the need for support systems.

#9about 3 minutes

Societal stereotypes that discourage women from tech

The underrepresentation of women in tech is linked to societal issues, including media portrayals and gendered marketing of toys that steer girls away from STEM fields.

#10about 3 minutes

Managing incidents and projects for banking clients

Daily work involves handling incidents and small-scale projects for banking clients, as well as contributing to large-scale data migrations between financial institutions.

#11about 3 minutes

The performance benefits of legacy programming languages

While school focused on modern languages like C# and Java, the current role uses legacy languages like PL/I for their critical performance in financial calculations.

#12about 1 minute

Finding a creative outlet as a dungeon master

Hobbies outside of work include playing Dungeons & Dragons, which involves creative world-building and storytelling as a dungeon master for multiple groups.

#13about 3 minutes

Advice for young professionals starting a tech career

Key advice for newcomers includes not being discouraged by debuggers, practicing consistently, and being open to unexpected career paths within programming.