Women in Tech: My Life as a Female Senior Software Engineer
An interview with a Senior software developer at Seamfix.
As the world continues to change, the necessity of women, especially in the tech industry, and equality in recognition and pay becomes glaring. At Seamfix, we have amazing trendsetting women in the tech wing doing incredible things. This ‘women in tech’ series are aimed at not only shouting their praises from the top of the hill but also showing their struggles and the normalcy in their everyday routines.
Today, we’re showcasing a brilliant senior software engineer, Ifeanyinwa ‘Ify’ Best Odili. A multilingual developer, fluent in Java and Kotlin, offering backend services when needed. Only 3 years in Seamfix and Ify has grown into a superb Android developer.
My journey from being one who admires other developer’s applications to building and deploying my own applications …
As a child, I remember opening up devices with my elder brother just to see how they worked. Even though I was fascinated with the different apps I came in contact with, like almost every Nigerian child I still wanted to become a medical doctor. Later in life, some complications with changing universities and admission, caused me to end up studying Computer Science at Landmark University, Nigeria. Albeit complicated, this was the beginning of something interesting in my career.
The highlight of my career was when a user of an application I built was trying to explain how the app worked to me and I could not help but smile. At the moment, a feeling of satisfaction washed over me.
“In my mind, I was like shut it. I felt happy because I knew everything that made the application tick, I knew what was going on in the backend of the application.”
A typical workday starts at …
About 6 a.m with a short prayer on my bed. I proceed to make breakfast — I really do not like eating out because I feel no one can garnish my food the way I would normally do. Then I prepare my mind for work.
“It is not about dressing and going to work. For me, it is about finishing up everything I commit to that day”
I have a personal habit of questioning myself on what I have to achieve in a day.
How I react when my code throws …
Actually, I have one of the most positive attitudes to my code throwing. I am not saying I don’t feel like flinging my laptop sometimes, I just calm down when I remember it is a company owned laptop. *Laughing out loud*.
“Aaaaaarrrrgh! first of all I know my code runs, it is not working as expected but it runs.”
I would usually set a maximum of one hour in trying to figure out the problem on my own, If by the end of the hour the solution is not forthcoming I turn to my colleagues for help.
Relaxing after a stressful day at work …
I love taking evening walks as this helps calm me. I also enjoy long calls with my friends and spending time on social media.
“When I am pressured at work, I go out for lunch with friends. I just leave my work vicinity to cool off.”
Now it gets really personal… Am I in a relationship?
Hmm… No I am not. Why not? If you had asked me 2 years ago, I would have said work definitely contributed adversely to my relationship as a previous relationship crashed because of that. Right now, I have found a balance with work and life so I can say that work is not the reason why I am not in a relationship.
Let’s shake some tables. My take on men in the same position as me earning more than me…
Well, I cannot relate to this as I have not experienced such. I, however, would never condone that concept especially when I’m doing the same work as the guy.
So there is a saying that ‘Women in tech have a terrible fashion sense’…
Honestly, it is a 50/50 thing. Sometimes true, other times false. I think a person’s fashion sense is solely based on the individual and not what they do. I actually think the view was gotten from the fact that women in tech tend to dress down a lot — ‘Jeans and tees’ are the uniform. And this is because the work we do requires us to be very comfortable with what we wear.
My two pence for people coming into tech….
“Let something drive you because it is this drive that will keep you here during the frustrating days.”
