QUB – Blazing a Trail – Women in ITSome perspectives from a female tech entrepreneur

9 December 2014

A bit about me …

• Started in local government as a new graduate

• Was person number 5 in a tiny team that’s now O2

• Joined Amphion Semiconductor in Belfast in 2000

• Became an entrepreneur later in life than most

• Co-founded Learning Pool in 2006 – and built an online learning community of 1m people from a tiny office in Derry

• Have founded 4 startups of my own … so far!

• Just joined NI Science Park as Entrepreneur in Residence

In my world, there’s never enough talent

“There were 990,000 open job vacancies in the UK in July 2014, but youth unemployment is running at 23% across the EU”

Sherry Coutu

Prepare young people for the jobs that “are” or “might be” – not the jobs that “were”

Jobs already gone

• Typists

• Telephone Operators

• Warehouse people

• Computer Operators

• Secretaries

• Drawing Officers

• Xerox Operators

Jobs on their way out

• Travel agents

• Journalists

• Tax Inspectors & Collectors

• Tech support

• Call centres

• Pilots & Drivers

• Postmen

• Farm workers

Prepare young people for the jobs that “are” or “might be” – not the jobs that “were”

Jobs that didn’t exist 10 years ago

• Digital Marketer

• Social Media Manager

• SEO consultant

• App Designers & Developers

• Cloud Services Specialist

• Big Data Analyst

• Zumba teacher

• Offshore windfarm engineer

Jobs of the future?• 3D/4D Designers• Nano engineers• Risk Profilers• Cyborg Engineers• Wisdom Archivists• Longevity Consultants• Crime Predictors• Troubleshooters• Component repurposers

A quote from a wise man

“We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely.”

Edward O Wilson, biologist

These days IT is no longer the realm of geeks

Some strategies to help you build a successful tech career

Invest in building a wide network of relationships within and outside of work and your industry

Put your hand up for hard projects

Practice makes perfect

“Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good…it’s the thing that makes you good”

Malcolm Gladwell

Stay curious, keep learning and read some books!

Pay it forward and pay it back…

How can we address the skills disconnect and look out for our youthand our economy

• Make sure parents and teachers are better informed

• Find more ways for school students to engage with entrepreneurs and wealth/job creators before they’ve made firm choices about education

• Move careers advice away from dependence on large incumbent firms

• Continue to lobby government to improve STEM’s image

• Support initiatives like Coderdojo, Women Who Code, Code Club, Founders4Schools

What’s been my experience of working in tech

• It’s much wider than coding

• Success is available to anyone who loves to be creative, use their imagination and solve problems

• The world has a lot of problems that need to be solved

• It provides a high level of job mobility in a fast changing world

• Work life balance is achievable in many tech roles

• Salaries are far higher than market average!

What’s next for me?

• A bit more of “pay it back”

• Some angel investment

• Helping some early stage startups and young entrepreneurs

• Maybe start another business…watch this space!

• Email address mary@kickhq.com

• Read my blog at www.kickingassets.co.uk

• Connect with me on Twitter at @MMaryMcKenna