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Inspiring the next generation of tech talent

INTERVIEW WITH ASIYA KADRI | SENIOR AUTOMATION ENGINEER

We’re passionate about supporting projects like Inspiring Girls International’s #ThisLittleGirlIsMe campaign and strongly believe in their message that showing girls female role models from all walks of life will inspire them to achieve all they can be.

With this in mind, we’ve chosen one of our own inspirational #womenintech to share her story and inspire the next generation of girls.

Asiya Kadri is one of the talented Senior Automation Engineers at Synaptek. She was recently promoted to the role for demonstrating her brilliant talent for using technology to improve ways of working and for her impeccable customer-centric approach to business. This is one of the reasons why she was also nominated for ‘Young Person of the Year’ in this year’s Birmingham Tech Week awards.

We’ve asked Asiya some probing questions to find out more about her journey into a career in the technology industry.

1. So Asiya, as today is International Day of the Girl, 11th October, we’d love to know whether you knew you wanted to go into a career in technology when you were a little girl?

Not at all, I didn’t have any idea about the sort of careers that were possible!

2. How did you begin your career in tech?

I studied maths at university and picked up some optional programming modules, which I really enjoyed, but didn’t really consider as a career at the time. After I graduated, I taught secondary-school maths for two years before realising that it wasn’t for me. One of my favourite parts of teaching was finding more efficient ways to process the data we held on our students, and this made me start exploring tech jobs. I got a role as a Graduate Software Engineer and honed my skills in this role for 2.5 years before becoming an Automation Engineer.

3. Although things are changing rapidly, women in tech careers have been known to face challenges compared to their male counterparts. Would you agree and how have you overcome these?

I would be lying if I said there weren’t challenges, but I do think the situation is improving overall as more women go further in their tech careers. The main thing I’ve struggled with is the voice in my head that wonders “am I being treated like this because I’m a woman?” in uncomfortable situations. As I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve learnt how to deal with these situations proactively, and that’s helped me hugely.

4. What are the top 3 things you’d say to girls coming into a career in tech to help them establish their career path?

  1. Believe in yourself – someone is paying you to do your job and they wouldn’t do that if they didn’t think you were capable!
  2. Get out of your comfort zone as often as you can. You only grow by challenging yourself and trying new things. If they don’t work, at least you learn.
  3. Be the generation that changes the perception of technology roles for women. Don’t accept not being heard, you are as qualified as the next person and gender has nothing to do with that! Don’t listen to that inner voice, but do challenge behaviour that makes you uncomfortable.

5. Lastly, what do you love most about being an Automation Engineer?

I love how every day is different and I really enjoy the variety of tasks that my role requires. A typical day might involve solving a tricky technical problem, speaking to clients about their projects, or helping members of my team with their personal development – I love tech and I love talking to people, and this role is the perfect balance.

As an employer, we promote equal opportunities by pushing development, career advancements and training to support all employees in their journey at Synaptek, and have also been involved in a number of community initiatives to support the next generation into a career in tech.