WomenInTech. "Professionalism is not gender-dependent" — stories of women from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan about equality in IT

Zhasaya Gizzat, city — Almaty, fullstack developer, Instagram

About me

I have been working in IT for over three years and currently identify myself as a fullstack developer. I am part of the Recoursia team, where they teach programming from scratch to those who want to start a career in IT. I went through this training myself and was able to successfully change professions. In addition, I run a blog on Instagram, where I share my experience and advice for those interested in IT and striving to develop in this field.

How I entered the IT profession

I came to IT from aviation; I previously worked as a flight attendant. Over time, I realized that I wanted more development and new career prospects, so I decided to radically change my profession and move into IT. The path was not easy, but it opened up many opportunities for me. After training, I received three job offers, and my career began at the FinTech company Bloomzed as a PHP developer.

About stereotypes

Stereotypes are part of reality. Many people think that IT is a "male" profession. When I was studying and working, I had to hear such opinions, but I believe that professionalism does not depend on gender.

Obstacles for women in IT

Women in IT often face bias and the feeling that they need to prove their qualifications more than men do. The main thing is self-confidence and continuous development. Support from colleagues and mentors also plays a big role. I tried to surround myself with people who helped me move forward, and this always supported my motivation.

Recommendations for those just starting their journey

Do not be afraid to start from scratch and make mistakes. This is a natural part of the process, especially in such a dynamic field as IT, where you need to constantly learn and develop. The most important thing is to have clear goals and plan your steps, and surround yourself with people who will support you on this path.

Tamara Kuchkarova, city — Tashkent, database developer, Click

About me

I am a database developer at click.uz and live in the city of Tashkent.

How I entered the IT profession

I graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Information Technologies and started my career as a software analyst for accounting. Gradually, I realized that the technical aspects of the work interested me more than the accounting ones. I saw a vacancy for a tester at a telecommunications company and decided to try it. Then I moved to another department where I was involved in administering a billing system, and from there I gradually deepened into development.

Overall, at the very beginning, the knowledge I gained at university was enough to get started, and afterwards I tried not to be afraid of new tasks, and in the process of solving them, I developed as a specialist. Currently, I have been engaged in development for seven years.

About stereotypes

Sometimes you can hear the opinion that "programming is not a woman's profession." But when asked the counter-question: "Why?", there is often no clear answer. "It's not customary" is no longer an argument in our rapidly changing world.

Nevertheless, I have never encountered such statements or discrimination from colleagues or managers. I have worked in several large companies, both Uzbek and international, and everywhere I felt comfortable in the team. I think if you position yourself not as a "girl among boys," but as a professional among professionals and a comrade in a common cause, the main thing is to do your job well, then the attitude towards you will be appropriate. I also never had problems with finding a job and employment. HR specialists and team leaders who focus on modern approaches strive to form the most diverse team. This has a positive effect on the atmosphere in the team and on the work process as a whole.

Obstacles for women in IT

The Achilles' heel in every woman's career is motherhood. In the IT field, you have to run to stay in place, and having a child and the difficulties associated with it can knock a woman out of her work routine. Returning to work after a long maternity leave, you may find that not only half of the colleagues have changed, but also the work processes, and the technologies used, and you start again from a junior level.

Personally, what helped me not to fall out of my career was choosing an adequate spouse who was ready to share all the difficulties of parenthood with me, luck with a nanny, and, of course, the opportunity to work remotely and have a flexible schedule.

Recommendations for those just starting their journey

Do what you like and what you are good at.