My Journey into Data Science
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I’ve been looking back at how being a woman has shaped my career journey thus far.
Early Education
My interest in science really came about from my school — I had great science teachers (both male and female) who made Maths, Physics and Chemistry come alive, and I was so inspired by being able to explain how the world around me worked that I ended up taking them all to A-Level. In both Physics and Maths we were taught to solve ‘real-world’ equations — we learned the mechanics calculations of fairground rides for example — which made things much more interesting and understandable than studying pure equations, and helped me to really visualise what was going on.
Throughout school, I was very unaware that science subjects were typically seen as more ‘for boys’, which could have been a result of my environment, in an all-girls school. A mixture of having supportive teachers and being surrounded by smart women gave me huge confidence in my abilities. Now, I appreciate this is not always the experience of girls studying Physics in the UK — even today less than 23% of students taking Physics A-Level are female. The confidence in my abilities, instilled into me by teachers and fellow classmates, led me to apply to study Physics at university, with the belief that I was capable and qualified to take on the course.
The University Years
Moving to university was the first real eye opener into how different it might be as a woman studying a STEM subject. It was a stark change to go from classes of 100% girls to having at most 1 woman in 10 students in all my lectures and classes. In a similar way, the diversity of people I looked up to had reduced, and female teachers disappeared almost entirely — in my first year I didn’t have a single female lecturer.
Being at quite a ‘traditional’ university, I found that many of the old stereotypes around “men’s subjects” and “women’s subjects” seemed to be accepted by the people around me. Many of the men I studied alongside were surprised that I was also on their course; it was surprisingly common to hear off-the-cuff remarks such as ‘but I actually need to get good grades in this, as a guy it’s my responsibility to get a good well-paying job’! At times, there seemed to be a lack of sympathy when I tried to admit that I was struggling with some of the work — as though it wasn’t surprising that I would be.
I found this attitude hard to process and it led to the first feelings of Imposter Syndrome, which made it even harder to speak up when I felt like I was struggling. My confidence plummeted — I felt I was trying to prove that ‘girls can do it too!’ and was failing terribly! I had to remind myself of something a teacher had mentioned to me just before I started — that if I was good enough to have been accepted onto the course, I was more than capable enough to complete it.
What ultimately got me through university was finding a close group of course-mates — predominantly female, but with some male ‘allies’ who understood how we were struggling and were supportive. The guys admitted that they also found things difficult and asked us for help too, which made us all feel less alone. Over time I have learned that it is actually a sign of strength to be honest and admit that you might be struggling. Now, I’m never ashamed to ask for help — even on the seemingly ‘stupid’ questions — as I worry less about what that person thinks and more about getting to the solution.
After a few years trying out ‘working life’ I returned to university to study for my Master’s in Data Science. Even in the few years since I had left education, it was a pleasant surprise to see an apparent change in attitudes, and that on my course, the ratio of female to male had increased from 1 in 10 to closer to 1 in 4. With a woman in charge of the course and more female lecturers, I felt a lot more relaxed, and with less to ‘prove’.
Working in Tech
Compared to my university experiences, being a female in the workplace has felt like a breeze! Armed with experience to deal with any tougher situations that might come along, and thanks in part to shifting attitudes around women in tech, my gender was much less noticeable to me. The interview process at Trainline made me feel instantly welcome, and I was able to learn all about the team I’d be joining and the other women I would soon be working with. I later found out that part of the reason I had been approached about the role was because Trainline was keen to ensure they had at least one woman within their list of interview candidates — which meant I had an opportunity I otherwise would not have come across.
Since joining Trainline, I have felt mostly unaware of my gender when at work — though admittedly I haven’t yet experienced balancing a family with my job. The Data Science team has an almost equal ratio of men:women, and I really value having a group of women in my own team who support each other. It means I have a set of people I can discuss my worries with, and who can help build my confidence before potentially scary conversations about salaries and promotions — typically things women find more difficult than men.
Looking to the Future
I’m increasingly noticing more and more companies promoting a strong proportion of women in their tech teams to potential employees, which I find really encouraging. There are many benefits of having more women in the team — some of my male colleagues have mentioned that often the few women who do make it through to the interview stage turn out to be much better qualified than the men — just by the sheer difficulty of having to get that far! We still have a long way to go and to really address the problem, I believe we must start earlier — at education level — to give more women the confidence to study STEM subjects in the first place. At Trainline there are plenty of opportunities for us to give back and help support the next generation of women, through our partnerships with organisations such as Future Frontiers, Code First Girls and Ada Tech School.
This being said, I’m really optimistic about the future of women in Tech. Although we cannot rest yet, attitudes are clearly changing and with more women in senior positions, it means more female role models, as well as a means of support and guidance for younger girls and women. Here’s to more women confidently leading technology in the future!
