Epic Women in Tech — Lucy Woodhead
Hi, I’m Lucy! I’m a full stack developer building innovative healthcare tech at GSK. I enjoy coding and developing solutions, but when I’m not debugging my errors I’m usually focusing on initiatives on AI in the real world, and supporting more women into tech through mentoring, speaking, and teaching. I was delighted to find out I recently won a #TechWomen100 award and also became a Code First: Girls Fellow.
How did you get into the tech field?
I never thought I’d go into the tech industry when I was growing up. I had little awareness of tech and didn’t really see a career in it as a viable option, and I didn’t study computer science! However, after doing my music degree, I went into Project Management and it just so happened that all my assigned projects were digital! Overseeing website migrations, User Research activity, and app development. Watching others with lines of code on their screen got me curious. I dabbled here and there, and the addictive nature of problem solving and building led to me retraining and becoming a software developer!
What are the main challenges in this field?
It moves fast! Faster than the law and regulations, so whilst it’s extremely thrilling to always pick up new tech, you always have to be mindful of where user data is going, and ensure everything you build is secure.
I also think that a lot of roles have only been generated in recent years, so it is sometimes hard to have visibility of what you could do, is something a role, or a process, or a philosophy?!
What are the things you’ve learned being a woman in tech?
Ultimately it can be an amazing career for women but there aren’t many in it! I’ve often been the only female developer in technical conversations and I don’t come across many in senior engineering positions.
Having said that, when you do join the industry there are a lot of fantastic WiT tribes and communities which are incredibly empowering.
What advice would you give to women who would like to join the industry?
If you’re looking for a sign then this is it!
A lot of women may have never thought about a career in tech (like myself initially), and unless you find yourself in a position or a linked role then it can be hard to know where to begin.
Don’t wait for the right time to start, just start! Give coding a go, read up on tech processes, connect with people doing those roles and find out which area interests you the most!
Who are your role models?
It’s got to be my coding tutors, mentors, and community group members, who inspire me every day and motivate me to aim high.
I also look up to Dr Sue Black, Emma Walmsley, Sheryl Sandberg, all who have initiatives that I’ve participated in and benefitted from, and all leaders creating change that encourage diversity and inclusion.
If you could go back in time to your first days in the industry, what would you do differently or tell yourself?
Try not to panic and think you have to know everything upfront! It’s like learning an instrument, you don’t become a grade 8 pianist in a few months, you learn and practice software engineering over time.
If you are a founder or a member of a community for women in tech, can you introduce it?
- Code and stuff, a group supporting women and non-binary people who are code newbies — community member https://codeandstuff-manchester.github.io/
- Code First Girls, social enterprise getting more women trained up in tech — Fellow & instructor for Data & SQL course https://codefirstgirls.org.uk/
- AI Tech North, an organisation bringing together people who work in digital to discover, learn, and discuss everything around AI — I’m an Ambassador and advocate for women in AI https://www.aitechnorth.uk/
