Critical Careers - Women Building Careers in Digital Infrastructure - Book - Page 25
What do you wish more senior leaders
understood about what it’s like to be
starting out in your career in today’s work
atmosphere?
Opportunities for career growth are so important. Early in your career,
you’re focused on how to progress, but you’re often surrounded by
people who have been in the industry for 10 or 15 years and are already
established. There can be an assumption that everyone is settled, but
for younger professionals, there’s still a strong need to keep learning,
developing, and moving forward.
That’s where support from managers becomes really important. It’s
about actively checking in, making sure those earlier in their careers
feel comfortable, and giving them the platform to grow. Because if most
of the team is more senior, it can be easy for those voices to
get overlooked.
I also think there’s something about continuing to create entry points
into the industry. I was lucky to be part of a rotational programme, but
that doesn’t exist anymore. Those kinds of opportunities make a big
difference in helping people get started and understand where they
can go.
At the same time, I do understand the challenge. As the industry
evolves and priorities shift, people don’t always have the time or
capacity to mentor in the way they might want to. But that does have
an impact, because without that support, it becomes harder for younger
professionals to really develop and 昀椀nd their path.
What would you tell a
young woman about this
industry to encourage her
to join it?
I think there’s a bit of irony right now. We’re all talking about AI,
especially my generation. People are using it every day, investing in it,
building on it, and constantly asking what’s next. But what a lot of people
don’t realise is that none of that exists without data centres behind it.
If you’re excited about AI and the future of technology, then you’re
already connected to this industry. Those two things go hand in hand.
You can’t have one without the other.
I’ve seen it when I talk to friends who work more on the software side.
As soon as I explain what I do, they realise there’s this entire layer behind
what they’re building, something physical that powers everything they’re
working on and it really seems to click for them.
I think we need more visibility into that. When I was in college, I didn’t
even know this industry existed, and I think that’s still true for a lot of
people today. So part of it is just helping people see what sits behind
all the technology they use every day.
And I’d also say, if you see challenges in the industry, that’s actually a
reason to join it. There’s a real opportunity to improve how things are
done and to help build better, more ef昀椀cient data centres for the future.
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