Work Towards Your Dream by Taking Baby Steps!
Bimala Gurung is a government IT professional working as an IT consultant for the state Medicaid agency. She started as a business analyst when she first stepped into the industry. She has a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Northwestern Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Illinois — Springfield. Gurung is an example of a driven, growth-oriented, and independent woman.
As a consultant, Gurung is involved in implementing Medicaid projects. She is responsible for making sure the business needs and the IT side of the organization align and communication flow is smooth between these two sectors. “My niche is government IT. I love that because l love public administration,” says Gurung.
Gurung enjoys hiking and outdoors, visiting museums, and listening to audiobooks in her free time. Recently, she bought a cozy cottage-style house with a small garden, and she also enjoys working in her garden.
After high school, Gurung moved to the US to pursue her bachelor’s degree. Growing up in Pokhara, she did not realize a woman could have a tech career in a Gurung family. She had always known women in her family would get married to a laure, took care of their family, and their job was secondary. “I wasn’t sure if a woman could have a career of her own, let alone a tech career. I did not know there were various career options in IT until I finished my undergrad school,” adds Gurung.
Speaking of women in IT, Gurung states, “In my experience, I have seen more women in the management side of the business and when it comes to the technical side like programming there are fewer women. That’s where the gender stereotype is divided. But, I also love the fact that there are more women in management because it requires a great deal of compassion and empathy. I know great project managers who can bring people together and are great at implementing projects though they might not know a lot about programming or coding.”
According to Gurung, one of the challenges is communication because the language barrier kicks in sometimes. “It is not because I don’t know English but my thought process is in Nepali, my native language, and sometimes it’s hard to articulate your thoughts in another language.” Similarly, Gurung recalls another challenge during her early career was learning new tools and technology as she didn’t have an IT background. “It is all about practice. I still make a point to take classes and learn new things in tech so that I can keep up with new technology,” says Gurung.
“The best part of IT is it’s amazing to see how every small action makes an impact. For example, in healthcare, people use Medicaid and there are policies related to Medicaid. People like me, who work in government IT, know behind-the-scenes of implementing those policies and making sure people get the services.”
Gurung adds, “I am most proud of what I have learned and come to value in life over the period. In my 20s I used to think a great job and big checks would make me happy. But, now I’m in my 30s, and what I value more is good family time, good mental and physical health.” Work is important but taking care of yourself is also vital, suggests Gurung.
“My message to young girls and women is, just do what you have always wanted to do. If you want to write a book, start writing it. If you want to start a career in tech, take classes, make connections, and learn about the industry. Work towards your dream by taking baby steps.”
This article was written by Anjeela Shrestha, a valuable member of Nepali Women in Computing for Nepali Women in Computing — CELEBRATE.
