A journey from electrical engineer to mother and software developer
Highlighting Somayeh Beladi from Clio
With over 5 years of building a strong community for women in technology, Chic Geek is here to sit down with long-time supporter, Clio. We wanted to explore their commitment to building diverse teams and developing employees’ growth, which contributes to high performing teams and transforming the practice of law, for good.
We sat down with Somayeh Beladi, a Software Developer at Clio who holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering.
CG: Can you briefly describe your background and how you got exposed to the technology space?
Somayeh: I grew up in Iran, where in high school, you need to choose a scientific focus. I enjoyed algebra and mathematics a lot and it was my strongest subject, so I decided to choose mathematics. To get into a university, I had to take a challenging test to decide what my future will be. This got me into electrical engineering, which was a very popular field.
After university, I received a scholarship from Australia to complete a PhD in Electrical Engineering. Afterwards, I became a post-doc researcher at the University of Calgary. During this time, I decided not to stay in academia and work in the industry because I was more interested in developing software solutions in industry more than writing papers and developing methods. I joined Garmin as an embedded software engineer to develop software for controlling embedded systems including hardware and mechanical parts. I mainly worked on algorithm design for Garmin fitness devices for 5 years. Afterwards, I was looking for a new challenge and I wanted to expand on my software skills as I had realized that this was my true interest, so I decided to start a career as a software developer for web applications. It was a big change and I knew I would have to work hard to gain the required knowledge and skills but I’m very happy that I made this choice and pursued what I enjoyed most.
I believe what helped me most is the culture we have at Clio which welcomes people with different backgrounds and builds diverse teams.
Clio invests in people and we all help each other learn and grow in our careers. This is how we build strong and successful teams.
CG: So, what brought you to Clio?
Somayeh: Joining Clio was a very big change because I had no experience in web development and most of my knowledge of embedded development was not applicable. I had to start from scratch and learn about web development, new languages like HTML and CSS and databases. It was all very new to me, but the reason joined Clio was its philosophy to help me learn.
Everywhere I interviewed asked about my past experiences and my abilities, but at Clio we spoke more about my potential. I did not know Ruby, but during my interview at Clio, the lead developer said they could teach me. I have done interviews with multiple companies and usually companies are only interested in hiring experts and are not interested in investing in applicants. Clio helps us gain new and valuable skills through pair programming, which has helped me improve my problem solving skills and learn how to write high quality code. Clio is happy to invest in me, which motivates me to return the investment and demonstrate my potential.
The other thing I like about Clio is how much everyone trusts each other. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team mentions how you should have enough trust with your team to comfortably talk about what you don’t know. I have been very open and honest about what I don’t know, and my teammates are so willing to listen and teach me.
CG: How did your background help you as a software developer?
Somayeh: I always aim to write high quality code by being very cautious of testing my code, writing detailed test plans and thinking about edge cases. When I came to Clio, my testing skills were a valuable addition to my team.
My achievements in the past and my hard work ethic have helped me become confident that what I don’t know, I can learn. I come to work early, so that when I go home, I can focus on my family. When my kids go to sleep, I can study more and fill any gaps.
CG: What do you enjoy most about your role as a software developer?
Somayeh: What I enjoy most is building something that other people can use. I have a lot of friends and relatives, especially women, who have wanted a divorce or custody of their kids. One of the things that makes this difficult is that a good lawyer is very expensive. Our mission at Clio is to change the practice of law, for good, which has an intentional double meaning. I’m inspired by the belief that transforming the legal industry will make law firms more efficient, driving down prices and ultimately providing access for everyone in need of legal services, including these women.
This is not a goal that we can achieve in a month or year, but we’re taking baby steps and moving toward that goal. This keeps me motivated.
The other thing I like about my job is that there’s a lot to learn. I am working with constantly changing technologies and it’s a lot of work to keep my skills up to date, but I really enjoy continuous learning. When I think about what I conquered last year, I realize I learned and accomplished a lot. The environment and people at Clio also keeps me motivated because they are so friendly and supportive.
CG: What makes Clio different from other organizations in their approach to building diverse teams?
Somayeh: Acknowledging that there is a problem with a lack of women in tech is a big step, but actually doing something about it is more important. In the last 6 months of 2018, Clio‘s software development team moved from 13% women to 25% women. Today, our software development team is 27% women. Our Calgary office, which is almost entirely software development, is 34% women. Clio is making a big effort to build a diverse team and an inclusive culture, and I can’t say enough how much I admire that.
Every week in the software development department , we complete a survey from our vice president of engineering, which asks us happy we are with our growth, if we are learning enough, if we feel our team’s work is of high quality, and if we feel we are experiencing growth personally. Every week, I’m amazed that he cares enough to ask every individual about how we’re doing in this way.
Clio believes it is possible for an organization to be both human and high-performing. There are a lot of opportunities to learn at Clio, such as book clubs, internal mentor/mentee programs and Slack channels where you can ask your questions or for help whenever you are stuck. People are always very responsive and happy to help. We also have a full time internal performance coach.
People at Clio are friendly, and there are a lot of them ready to help and teach you, which is amazing. You never feel bad or embarrassed. Even if you ask what you think is a silly question, people will understand. Clio is willing to teach you, and they support us with education, conferences, courses and books as well.
CG: What is it like studying and working in a field where women are the minority?
Somayeh: In university, I remember there were 100 boys and 29 girls the year I entered. I always noticed there were fewer women in this field, but I was used to it and accepted that this is the way that it is.
After joining Clio, I found it very interesting how some people in the company were taking the initiative to change this. They believe that the status quo is not good enough and they are determined to improve the gender diversity of our engineering team. Although I had previously accepted the status quo now I’m now excited to play a role in changing the industry to make it more welcoming and supportive for women and to encourage other women to pursue careers in tech.
I make sure when I’m with them, we’re having fun.
CG: And what is it like working while raising a family?
Somayeh: The bottom line is, having a child and working is hard. Maternity leave makes it easier to spend a year with your baby, but when you go back to work, it’s very challenging. People don’t consider that you had a one year gap and they don’t realize you’re not the same person. You have different concerns now.
Also, it’s hard when you’re leaving the house and your kids ask you to stay at home and play with them. Sometimes this makes me wonder if going back to work was the right decision. But I believe that I am a better mom for my kids when I am happier and having a successful career is one of the essentials for me to be happy.
When I go home I make sure I’m in a good mood and present and I try to spend a lot of time with them. The trick for me is to make sure I have quality time with them. Even if I don’t spend the whole day with them, I make sure we have fun and play games together. That helps me balance work and family.
I’m currently reading Insight by Tasha Eurich, and she says that whenever you’re having a hard time, it’s good to think of the things that are amazing in your life and your achievements. When I’m feeling down, my kids bring me joy and the confidence that I’m a good mom.
The most important thing for me are my two kids and husband, and everything is built around that core. My son Rodwin is 4 1/2 years old, and my daughter Leanna is 2. They are the joy of my life and my everything. One of the reasons I go to work is to teach my daughter to pursue her professional goals and follow her dreams. I try to make sure that I don’t speak negatively about going to work, so it doesn’t give her the impression that it is a bad experience. I want to encourage her to pursue a career as well — one which aligns with her desires and hat she enjoys doing.
What’s your advice for someone who wants to switch roles in the technology space?
Somayeh: Take advantage of your opportunities. Everyone can learn anything.
Two months ago, I registered for an online bootcamp on advanced web development and the cost was only $18. Take advantage of online courses and online resources, because they’re super accessible. You can complete them in your own time and they’re so inexpensive that you can try different fields and see what is more fun for you and what you’re enjoying most.
I spent 4 months using Udacity to get a degree in machine learning. I also have been taking different courses on Coursera or Udemy such as “The Advanced Web Developer Bootcamp” and “The Complete Ruby on Rails Developer Course”.
Education is evolving and you can obtain a high quality education online, so why not? Just try and see if you like it.
CG: Can you share any final words to our community about getting into tech or being a software developer?
Somayeh: I admire people who see something and want to change it. I never considered trying to improve gender diversity in tech, and people at Clio are so driven to do that. Women usually under-evaluate our performance. We tend to think we’re not good enough or capable enough. I believe we need to pursue what we enjoy most and if tech is what we like, then we need to believe that we’re strong and capable.
