Breaking Barriers: A Little Bit of My Journey as a Woman in Tech

Barrier #1: Challenging Stereotypes – “Women Can’t Code”

The first challenge I faced in my journey as a woman in tech was being in an environment where people constantly said, “Women can’t code.”

I attended high school at IPOPSA, where I pursued a Technical Computing program—one of the most demanding tracks, designed for students with strong academic performance. The curriculum covered a variety of topics, including web design, networking, PC repair & maintenance, and programming. While getting into the program was an accomplishment, I quickly found myself struggling with programming. Understanding the fundamentals was tough, and my grades suffered.

To make things worse, I kept hearing that “women can’t code.” Given my struggles with Pascal, a structured programming language, I started to believe it. I cried over it more times than I’d like to admit. I wanted so badly to understand programming, but I just didn’t know how.

Then, I got an idea—an extracurricular course in Visual Programming. I spent my entire summer and four more months learning Visual Basic and Delphi. It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, but it sparked my curiosity and gave me a foundation to build on.

When I got back to school, we started Delphi class. To everyone’s surprise—including my own—I was confidently answering the teacher’s questions. That moment changed everything. I had found my motivation, a fire to prove them wrong, and a new confidence to keep going. I studied more at home, and by the end of the program, I was the best female student in coding in my class.

Barrier #2: Being a Minority in Tech

Throughout my education and career, I’ve often found myself in spaces where women were a minority. At ITLA, we were only three female students in a class of over 15 men. At UNAPEC, the university I attended, there were often only two women in my classes.

That trend continued into my professional life. Working in IT departments where there are few women has had its challenges—sometimes dealing with certain perceptions when I dress up for work or feeling hesitant to speak up in technical meetings where most voices in the room are men.

I believe that having more women in tech would make the field feel safer and more welcoming. It’s not just about representation—it’s about creating an environment where different perspectives are valued.

Barrier #3: Breaking Into the U.S. Tech Industry

Moving to the United States was a big turning point in my career, but it also came with new challenges:

• Speaking English as a second language

• Preparing for tougher technical interviews

• Learning a wide range of technologies to compete in an international market

To overcome these challenges, I committed to studying 3 to 4 hours a day for months. I took every ESL (English as a Second Language) course I could find, built multiple projects to showcase my skills, and had mock interviews with colleagues to improve my technical and communication abilities.

The hard work paid off. As soon as I became eligible to work in the U.S., I landed my first job at LTSE (The Long-Term Stock Exchange)—just a few weeks after starting my job search.

Conclusion

My journey in tech has been full of challenges, doubts, and growth. From struggling with programming in high school to proving myself in male-dominated spaces and adapting to the U.S. tech industry, every experience has shaped who I am today.

I’ve been fortunate to have help and support from great managers (both female and male), teachers, my family, my spouse, and friends. In moments when I wasn’t feeling as confident, their encouragement made all the difference, and I’m truly grateful for that.

One thing I’ve learned is that women can do great things in tech, especially with our innate trait of paying attention to details. Kudos to all the women who are breaking barriers, and I hope we can continue to support each other in this field. 💜