Epic Women in Tech — Jonah Andersson
Jonah Andersson is a Filipina-Swedish Software Developer and IT-Consultant at Forefront Consulting, Sweden. Jonah studied Computer Science, Agile System Development i C# .NET, and Programming in Java. She used to dream of being an architect or civil engineer but due to life circumstances, she ended up studying about the science of computers and programming and she didn’t regret that! In fact, she enjoys being a programmer!
She enjoys solving challenging complex problems, coding back-end and has great interest in developing applications full-stack in C# .NET using new technologies such as Microsoft Azure. From time to time, Jonah shares her technical knowledge at some virtual conferences like Virtual Azure Community Day 2020 where she shared about the gender equality problem in tech and things to consider when migrating old .NET applications to the cloud.
Jonah used to teach programming to kids in schools and now she is open to opportunities to mentorship to help make a difference by inspiring tech to young women. She likes to connect with other developers, share her technical skills with others, and personally support gender diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Aside from programming as part of her daily work routine, Jonah is also volunteering in different internal collaboration groups internally in her organization and even externally. In her spare time, she enjoys reading books, photography, training her Malinois dog, playing chess and spending time with her family.
You may connect with Jonah at Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonahandersson/, Twitter @cjkodare or her website at https://www.jonahandersson.tech
How did you get into the tech field?
My journey to starting a career to the tech industry is a long, challenging and inspiring story. It all started in the Philippines where I grew up. When I was a young girl, I got to watch a story about the amazon women, back then when I was a kid, they were used to be known to be fierce female warriors. Different, strong and brave.
When I was growing up, I wanted to be different and strong like the amazon women I’ve seen on TV. However, I was not as brave when I was a young girl. I was shy and was scared to be in the crowd. My mother used to encourage me to face that fear. My choice of dream job and education were influenced by my dreams and what I wanted myself to be — to be different, brave, and strong. That somehow influenced me. I had a dream to become a civil engineer, which was back then known to be a men-dominated job wherever you are.
That dream job didn’t happen because of life circumstances and economic reasons. In the Philippines, getting a good degree in a good college or a university is not free. We don’t have that privilege of free university education. However, we have scholarship programs supported by private organizations or the government.
Since my parents could not afford to send me to college and take the civil engineering degree that I dreamed of, I took the initiative of taking a government scholarship that was offered in my high school back then.
I took the scholarship exam and I did it. I got the scholarship. I did not have the option to study civil engineering through it but I had the opportunity to study Computer Science at a private college Asian College of Science and Technology, in Dumaguete City Philippines. I studied a degree in Computer Science as a scholar and graduated in 2004. It was also the year when my mother died of breast cancer. I just turned 18 years old then. When my mother died, as the eldest child in the family, I was forced to become the breadwinner of the family. Instead of finding a job within the programming field, I took the first job as technical support that I could have back then to earn a living.
When I moved from the Philippines to Sweden 9 years ago, I decided to pursue my passion and dream to work with software engineering. I studied more about software development in programming languages C# and Java for another 3 years until I got my first job as a full stack software developer in Sweden.
What are the main challenges in this field?
Being a female software developer, there are some challenges working in the tech industry. These challenges include the gender equality problem, keeping myself updated with the recent programming technologies and being in àjour with the modern technologies. By personal experience, I’ve been in a situation where I had a tough time dealing with a non-inclusive and non-diverse workplace. I am a living example of someone who was discriminated against and mistreated at the workplace. It affected my health and myself as a person. This is one of the many reasons why I am really passionate to advocate diversity and inclusion in workplaces — especially in the tech industry. I am very happy that my current workplace, Forefront Consulting is a great, innovative and inclusive company to work. I am given the opportunity to be accepted and to make an impact.
What are the things you’ve learned being a woman in tech?
Although I am a programmer who is expected to think logically, I am also a deep thinker and a reflective person. I have learned a lot in life and through the years so far working as a woman in tech.
I have learned to keep learning from whatever challenges I face. To think outside the box. To learn how to see things in a bigger perspective yet understand what small details. To never take things personally if there are people who drag me down and belittles me. To be myself, be unique and to never pretend to be a better person you are not — just to prove myself to others expectations. To be open and true to yourself and work to your goals — not for others, but for the best self.
What advice would you give to women who would like to join the industry?
To find a good mentor and good role models. Follow the desires of your heart and what you want to achieve. To never give when everything seems hopeless.
When you find a good mentor, value him or her. Value your good contacts and network with people in tech. Dare speak up your thoughts even if you feel uncomfortable.
Who are your role models?
My first role model was my mother, Joan, who passed away when I was turning 18 yrs old. She was a brave and charismatic mother and woman I admired.
I have other tech role models like Lady Ada Lovelace, other female tech friends who are making a difference by sharing their tech skills to others in the online community.
If you could go back in time to your first days in the industry, what would you do differently or tell yourself?
“Have patience over every programming problem you have to fix. It will be easier to solve over time when you understand it all better!”
If you are a founder or a member of a community for women in tech, can you introduce it?
I do not have a community for women in tech but I am a mentor to different women in tech communities like DataTjej and Guidance locally in my area. I am also a GirlCode ambassador. I also just recently created a local Azure User Group called Azure User Group — Sundsvall, Sweden https://www.meetup.com/azureusergroupsundsvallsverige/ I saw that wasn’t any user group in my area that meets and learn more about technologies like Microsoft Azure so I created one. I want to share and collaborate with other developers through this group. Hopefully, connect with other female developers in my area too.
