Hi Jade! OK so first of all - what do you do?

Hello! My name’s Jade, I’m a senior software engineer currently working at Microsoft. I’ve been in the software engineering industry for almost 10 years now. I’m really passionate about creating efficiencies in processes, creating high performing teams and helping others thrive!

That's brilliant! Can you tell us a bit about how you got to where you are in your career so far?

Offft that’s a tough question, where do we start? I would say that I’m a generalist, so I know a lot of things. My skillset is that I’m quick at picking up technologies and can get working on a different codebase straight away. The only constant for me is that I know a lot about Azure! I am also really passionate about leadership and helping people grow.

My career started in university, I initially did Maths as a degree but I hated it because it changed from being about solving problems to the theory of solving problems…

I always loved solving problems in my teenage years and my partner at the time was doing computer science. It was a great mixture of solving problems and logical thinking, which was the thing I enjoyed about Maths initially anyway.

Fab! And what's the best and the worst part about your role?

Best part:
I get to solve problems everyday! It’s truly one of the best parts of my job, you get to continuously learn new things and move on to bigger and harder problems.

Worst part:
I’m not the biggest fan of documentation, it can be a little dull! Thankfully Co-Pilot and ChatGPT have made the process more bearable 😀

Have you experienced any challenges in your career?

Oh absolutely! I spent so much of my early years just not believing in myself, I was pretty much feeling like a massive fraud and that I was going to be found out at any moment. After a lot of introspection, I came to realise that this was because I was afraid of failure… But there’s no place for that in the software engineering industry, you have to embrace it, because failing fast is how you learn quickest. Getting over that fear of failure was crucial for me in order to become the best software engineer I can be.

So true! Any tips you can share for someone aspiring to get to where you are today?

Don’t compare yourself to someone who has been doing this job for a long time, it can be easy to look at them and feel like you’re out of your depth and you’ll never get to where they are. Whilst comparisons can be helpful in showing us how we can improve, they can also be damaging if we let them affect our confidence.

You’re a big advocate of mentorship… can you tell us why and how you personally have benefitted from it in the past?

I’ve had some really strong business focused women leaders who have helped me grow in leadership, seeing their pragmatism and approach to solving problems, even in the face of adversity, has made me the woman I am today.

I also think surrounding yourself with strong technical leadership is crucial, having strong, patient and empathetic technical leadership will accelerate your growth ten fold.

Any tips on how to get the most out of having a mentor?

Identify the areas you need help with. Mentorship only works if you have a clear and honest conversation with both yourself and your mentor.

For example, with my mentees, we predominantly focus on getting them ready for their first role. The following areas are things I evaluate them on are:
1. Soft and behavioural skills
2. Networking and social skills
3. Coding skills
4. Data structure and algorithms (for certain roles)

And we identify the areas they are struggling with most to improve those areas, as well as leveraging their biggest assets.

Thanks! OK we have to ask - You have a HUGE following - so impressive! Can you tell us how you built up your network and the advantages of doing so?

I decided in July 2023 that I wanted to try and increase my impact to help people who feel how I once felt. I used to suffer from massive imposter syndrome and I wish I had someone guiding me through pushing past it. I actually quit being a software engineer twice because of it. I felt like I would never get to a point where I would get it, I was lucky that I kept getting drawn back to it in that sense really.

The biggest advantages has been getting to meet some incredible people, I get invited to speak at events (such as the one Women in Tech Birmingham hosted recently!) and it’s all because people see me on LinkedIn and want me to share my story. I love getting to hear about different people’s stories and helping them achieve their goals.

That's so inspiring! Final question… who is the most inspiring woman in tech, modern day or historical figures?

Oo, well of course Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer. But if I had to say the women who inspire me today are Irina Stanescu and Callie Buruchara, I follow them both on LinkedIn and whenever I see a post of theirs I’m like ‘damn I wish I thought of that’ they really do lead with authority.