Rita Moore

“Do it YOUR way” 

This was the most inspiring piece of advice I have ever received 

Let me tell you the story.  

It all happened a few years ago, when my Manager asked me to take on a new project.  

The project was something very new for me, it sounded very interesting, and exciting, There might even be chance of some travel! 

But, It would take a lot of hours, and effort. And honestly, I just didn’t think I was capable of managing this project, so I said No. 

That’s when the Manager said “I think you can do this, Do it YOUR way” 

I was slightly shocked. What did that mean “Do it my way?” 

I could do it my way???  

I could do it my way!!  

I will do it my way! 

That piece of advice has stayed with me ever since, and has given me the confidence to keep pushing through any challenges. 

Lourdes Beloqui Yuste

Let me introduce myself: my name is Lourdes and I come from a town near Barcelona. 

If I could give you any advice, it would be to never give up.  

Back in the day an IT degree in Barcelona was considered one of the hardest a person could study. My friends told me “are you sure?”, “are you good enough to take on an Engineering Degree?”, my tutor told me I was better suited to study Economy.  My answer was always the same, “yes, IT is what I would like to work on, the university will have to kick me out because I will not give up”. I accomplished my dream.

I studied my IT degree in Spain and my master and PhD in Ireland.

You can always achieve what you want by working hard, you might have to work harder than others, but if you work hard on your dream it will be accomplished. 

ICT is a wide field and there are lots of different roles where everyone can find their perfect fit. It is a career with many options that allows you to take on new challenges when the job becomes a bit monotonous after a few years. 

As an example, now I am in Systems and Technology and my role involves writing Technical Studies for new solutions for Mobile Networks, which is something that I really enjoy. But I have worked in different areas during the years, like Developing, Testing and Writing Documentation, but there are many other areas to work in and choose from, from sales to management. 

Personally, I feel proud to be part of the future in technology. Software Engineering is very dynamic, always evolving, making technology better for a better future. I worry a lot about Climate Change and Technology is one of the most important tools that will help us face the challenge to save our planet. 

Ewa Malinowska

Hi there!  

I’m Ewa and I’m a software engineer.

I’ve been working in Ericsson over the last 7 years on a number of projects with the most recent one involving 5G and Cloud Native technologies. 

ICT is one of the most exciting and cutting-edge industries to enter. If you aspire to work in a fast paced environment, with innovative technology which will shape the future of how we interact online (social, work and media), then you should definitely consider choosing ICT as a career option!  

Technology always evolves, so the work is never stagnant or boring - you learn new things every day. You get to collaborate with a team of talented, tech-passionate, and like-minded people.

When it comes to IT, the skills you learn are transferable and relevant across the globe, so it’s a perfect fit for a young lady thinking of pursuing an international career.  

The majority of IT companies are very supportive in upskilling their employees and giving equal opportunities to everyone. While working in Ericsson, I have gained tremendous knowledge and improved my soft skills, achieving many of my personal and professional goals.

Last year, with full support from my employer, I had the opportunity to broaden my education and pursue my 4th college degree studying Postgraduate Certificate in Cloud Native Computing. 

There are many prospects for young and talented people like you to build a great career in the tech industry, so don’t be afraid to take up and study STEM subjects. 

Fresh perspectives and new solutions are always welcome in ICT, so it’s a perfect place to bring your ideas into real life and shape the future.  

I wish you the very best of luck in pursuing your goals! 

Catherine Egan

Hi, I'm Catherine!

I went back to College as a mature student and I chose Software Engineering as my study choice for numerous reasons.

Firstly, the Internet of things is rapidly transforming the world we live in where most of our devices are connected through software.  I wanted to be part of that transformation and contribute to these exciting changes.

Secondly, studying Software Engineering allowed me the scope to explore the vast possibilities that are available out there in ICT.  It is also an Industry that never stands still – new and exciting developments are always on the horizon, so it is never boring.

The options are endless for the different area you can choose to work in such as encryption and cyber security, web developer or creation of apps, analysing data or working as a data center technician, a hardware engineer or a database administrator, network engineer or programmer.

If visual artistry is more your thing, then multimedia developer is an exciting option where you can design and create animations, graphic images, sounds and videos. 

 Whilst ICT traditionally attracts the males of our species and most of my fellow students in College were male, this did not deter me in my career choice in any way.  I was never one to be told I could not do something just because I was female and honestly, I do not know why this industry does not attract more females – it is exciting, dynamic, and fast evolving. 

In summary, I would encourage all females of any age group to look at ICT as a career choice – it is a rewarding profession that allows you the flexibility to pursue the various options outlined above and it can be very competitive in its salary also. 

Saranya Padmanaban

Hi, I’m Saranya. I completed my Ericsson MSc in Applied Software Engineer and started working as a Trainee Engineer in Ericsson in September 2020.  

It is always a big challenge when you choose your career. The Information Technology industry has various job opportunities, each requires different skills. It would be beneficial to get involved in understanding technology at a young age, even if you don’t choose a career in the Information Technology industry, since technology plays a vital role in everyone’s life.  It is of course great to know that there are many options available to people and there is a place for everyone who wants to work in The Information Technology industry

Information Communication Technology is a wide term to refer the technologies and applications used to communicate using internet, mobile networks and transmit the data in a digital form. Though women share half of the population in the world, a lesser portion of this population contributes in ICT.  The encouragement for girls to enter STEM based studies and careers should start in the family, allowing them to become the creators of tomorrow in ICT. I have a strong belief that girls can provide new perspective in product design, handling problems and the way of working involved in the Information Technology industry. 

As a Software Engineer (not yet, Trainee Engineer now), it feels interesting to learn something new every day. There is continuous learning and motivation from the mentors and other team members. It is challenging sometimes, but there will always be some helping hands from the team. 

I started studying Higher Diploma in Cloud Computing in Athlone Institute of Technology. During the course, we had hands on experience in developing web sites using the latest web technologies. We also had a few group projects which provided us with real industry work experience. That encouraged me to get into the ICT sector. At the end of the course, I approached my professors to get their advice on how to grow my career in ICT. They guided me to pursue MSc in Applied Software Engineering sponsored by Ericsson. I completed the Master course and joined Ericsson. 

There is a huge scope for Girls in ICT in both education and career. The ICT sector has lots of job opportunities. Ericsson is a driving force in the technology industry and we lead the way  to provide equal opportunity for all genders in this sector.

There are no constraints, I hope more girls show interest in choosing a career in ICT and contribute to the growth of the industry with their creativity and innovation.  

Lavanya Sainik

Hi, I am Lavanya Sainik, currently working as a Senior Engineer in the Orchestration product area at Ericsson, Ireland. I became part of the Ericsson family right after my campus recruitment. It’s almost 10 years working here in different roles and locations. Regarding my career decision, since school days, I found programming interesting, so I chose that as my major and got a chance to work on interesting projects during high school and college.  Being involved in some interesting problem statements and research work and seeing their useful impact in our day to day life, I decided to choose that as my career option. Along with my family's guidance and motivation to pursue my interest, it was a smooth journey for me.

I would like to acknowledge that software engineering has been a great career choice for me. I have always enjoyed my work not only as a bread and butter option but also as an interesting opportunity to learn and contribute. I believe, one should always go for career options for which you are passionate about and what seems interesting to you.

Software Engineering as a career means an endless opportunity to explore, learn and contribute. Currently, most industries are relying on software. If we look at our daily routine, our life revolves around software (eg.: waking up with alarms). Personally, I feel very encouraged to work in this industry as we have lots of opportunities to learn and contribute for the benefits of humanity by coding a few lines (coder’s magic).

ICT means communication, not only digital or analog but also a way of connecting people with emotional wires, irrespective of distance. It’s a media to provide care and comfort virtually which is beneficial for humanity (of course, if used legitimately).

To understand its impact, if we see todays' global pandemic scenario, which is one of the biggest challenges for the whole world, ICT is playing a major role to overcome the difficulties. Now, for both professional and personal reasons, we are physically distant but still the world is running because of the power of software and communication technology.  In fact, I feel thankful to God, that as part of Ericsson, we all are contributing in making things easier for people in these tough times where it’s so hard to meet family and friends but with the power of ICT, we are still virtually connected.

It’s 2021, and I really wish that we didn't have to deal with rudimentary gender-based discussions anymore. Every human being is born special with their  own capability and they should keep on contributing in their best possible way.  For girls, to be creators of tomorrow, please contribute in every domain, whichever is interesting for you. Let's overcome the gender-based limitations and contribute as an individual.

I hope that a day will come soon, where rather than focusing on diversities like gender, culture, race, we will have a united society - "society with variety".

Megha Sharma

If I recall my early twenties, I remember I didn’t know much about the possible roles in the ICT field that I could opt for. I was aware of how vast the ICT field is but, I was a little confused about what I could choose or how I could achieve my career goals. So, the best career advice that I would like to give my younger self is that I should have researched more or talked to a few IT people to guide me. It would have been much easier to understand or at least to question myself on what was right for me or what I wanted. Though it was not too late, as we all know, you know the best when you do it! But for sure, I would have been more confident and would have challenged my skills in a better way instead of figuring it out later in my initial career years. 

ICT is one of the biggest industries throughout the world. There is nothing better than being a part of it! There are new challenges at every step, thus it opens many opportunities to grow professionally. We all  have so much potential. So, don't question yourself! As we are doing so much already in our personal lives, we can also achieve so much in our professional lives.  

Software Engineering has given me confidence and growth. This industry has helped me to understand why and how technology is playing an important role in our day-to-day lives. Working in this industry has made me realize that I am a crucial part of the technology world and my work is helping to shape a better future. 

I cannot emphasize enough that ICT provides vast career opportunities. My main motivation to choose ICT as a career was better professional growth. I knew I would love to be a part of the never-ending technology world as it challenges you to be the best version of yourselves, be it learning or enhancing your skills.   

Be ready for a competitive world. It needs your dedication and hunger to thrive. 

Charlotte Meme Kefeletswe

Hello, My name is charlotte and my journey into tech wasn’t traditional. I studied Psychology and Economics, started my career in Sales, and for a long time, I believed that coding and IT were just “too difficult” for someone like me. But one day, I decided to stop doubting and just try — and everything changed. I discovered a world that’s not only about code, but about creativity, problem-solving, and constant growth.

Today, I work as a Software Engineer at Ericsson, and I love what I do.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: you’re never stuck. You’re allowed to change paths, to explore new passions, and to rewrite your story at any time. Just continue to be curious, be brave, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise."