WomenInTech. "Regardless of age or gender, you can succeed," — successful women in IT share how their journeys began

Maya Batyrbekova, city — Almaty, Director of IT Support and Development at Beeline Kazakhstan

About Me

The main goal of our directorate is to ensure the stability of high-load systems. We are responsible for the availability and reliability of service delivery to customers through digital channels and billing information systems.

How I entered the IT profession

I began my journey in IT even at university after completing my second year in the "Finance" major. It was during that period that I realized I did not want to tie my life to finance and began actively studying development. As a result, literally within a couple of months, I took second place in a republican website construction competition, after which I received my first job offer from a web studio.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree, I decided to continue my studies in a master's program in "Business Informatics" in St. Petersburg, where I simultaneously worked as a developer at a large IT company.

About Stereotypes

Reflecting on my career path, I can note that the only prejudice I encountered was related to distrust regarding the high qualification of IT specialists in Kazakhstan, so it was difficult for me to work in a foreign company at first. But this beginning of my career did not break me; on the contrary, it hardened me — I learned to set goals, achieve them, became a professional in my field, and now I am developing the technological sphere in my country.

Today, I am perceived primarily as a professional, and a professional always commands respect. I always emphasize my competence as a specialist in my industry, honing the skills necessary to achieve results.

Barriers for Women in IT

There is a common belief that IT is a male profession. It seems that sometimes this leads to gender discrimination and unequal compensation for labor. However, I assert that this does not reflect reality. Even by the example of Beeline Kazakhstan — the company prioritizes equality in the workplace. Regardless of age or gender, if you have knowledge and offer effective solutions, you can succeed.

Although stereotypes exist, fortunately, they do not always hold true. Girls successfully develop applications, lead teams of programmers, and possess both technical and soft skills — leadership, communication, empathy, and time management. The youth of our time are talented and ready to deepen their knowledge. For me personally, it is important that candidates are open to new ideas, are not afraid of mistakes, and strive for changes in the world. At Beeline Kazakhstan, we welcome this.

Recommendations for Those Just Starting Their Path

Today, there is a growing trend in AI and the use of ChatGPT in work. Undoubtedly, a convenient tool capable of reducing time for implementing certain operational tasks. But I believe that this is a temporary trend, and it is necessary to continue studying a large number of sources, reading books, taking courses, and improving one's qualifications, enriching one's knowledge — expertise will always be in demand. I also believe that in our profession, it is important not to rush when taking on a new task or project, as the cost of a mistake can be high. Therefore, one must approach any issue consciously. Teamwork is important, not just personal ambitions.

Fatima Amantay, city — Astana, Senior Product Manager, @amantayf

About Me

I am a Senior Product Manager at Galamat tech, where I develop the IQUP application. I am also the founder of an academy for product managers — zhan.lab. In the academy, students master all the skills of a product manager by creating IT solutions during their training.

I developed my first project in the IT sphere in the 11th grade. It was a mobile application for finding beauty masters. With this project, I participated in the international Informatrix Asia competition in Almaty in 2019 and won a gold medal. Working as a developer, I realized that I wanted to implement my own ideas. At that time, I became acquainted with the profession of project manager. I received an offer from the digital agency One Union, where I managed the process of developing IT solutions for Kazakhstani and foreign companies.

How I entered the IT profession

I entered the IT sphere in the seventh grade when I first became acquainted with competitive programming. Participating in olympiads and IT competitions, I became more and more interested in this field. The realization that the IT sphere is boundless in its possibilities came to me during a Microsoft bootcamp in the field of artificial intelligence, which took place in Greece. This served as a major impetus for my further development in the IT sphere.

About Stereotypes

There were difficult periods, of course, but they were not related to stereotypes that can be heard about the IT sphere. They were more related to my young age, but through the work process, I managed to find a way to connect, build relationships with the team, and achieve significant results in projects. In more than five years of professional work in this field, I have not seen strong discrimination against me. Yes, I agree that there are few women in this field. If you analyze my workday, I interact more with men, especially, the technical team always consists entirely of men. I think this is related to the fact that there are simply more male specialists in the labor market. And I look at this positively too. It means that for us women, there are great opportunities to show ourselves in the IT sphere.

Barriers for Women in IT

Women in IT sometimes face biased views, lack of support from colleagues or management, as well as insufficient understanding of career growth opportunities. Overcoming such obstacles helps persistence, self-confidence, finding mentors, and support within the IT community. Advancing in my career as a product manager, I noticed that significant growth can be achieved by working in startup companies, where high KPIs are set, and for their achievement, the team often performs at a high level. This approach will help you rise quickly.

Recommendations for Those Just Starting Their Path

For those just starting their career in IT, I would recommend finding a good mentor. This is a person who will help you make the right decisions. Often, such a person can play a big role in your development as a specialist. You can find such a person while studying on courses.

Never be afraid to make mistakes. Through mistakes, you can learn a lot; it is a good professional boost.

Keep learning, because this is the key to continuous development!