Introducing Niamh Broderick, Data Science Manager
What’s your role and current job?
I’m Niamh, a Data Science Manager at Monzo Bank, in Customer Operations. I have a blended individual contributor and manager role, so I split my time between developing my direct reports, managing projects, and doing analysis and writing code. In my team we work on trying to make sure we can serve Monzo’s customers as effectively as possible.
How did you get into tech?
I’ve been into science and maths since I was small, but I always thought I’d go into research and become an academic. I studied Chemistry at uni, and at one point almost learned to code, but the room the computational chemists sat in was in the basement while the organic chemists had big windows on the top floor, so I went for organic chemistry as my specialty! During my masters I decided organic chemistry research actually wasn’t for me, so went on to a graduate job in trading analytics in the oil and gas industry. I loved working in analytics, and had the opportunity to do some Python training, which I took this time, and got the coding bug.
From there I knew I wanted to work in a tech company so started looking for data science roles. I got a role at a fintech startup where I was able to improve my code and work with other data scientists, and I’ve been in fintech since! I definitely thought then that I wanted to do machine learning and fancy statistics, but in my data science journey since I’ve realised I get a lot more from telling a story and finding insights in data, and from helping product teams to measure the impact of their changes. And now I’m using the scientific method to run experiments at Monzo, so in a way have come full circle back to my academic roots.
What have the biggest challenges been as a woman or non-binary person in tech?
I regularly struggle with impostor syndrome when I’m tackling something new, and I think being a visible minority in the workplace definitely doesn’t help!
I also have a habit of crying when I’m angry which initially made me unlikely to discuss topics I found emotional or important, especially with people more senior than me. This is something I know a lot of my female colleagues have also experienced — the waterworks coming on when you know you want to be taken seriously. Also, a lot of topics are imbued with more emotion for women and minorities than they are for others, because we have a lived experience of being treated differently and it’s more than an abstract moral principle that people should be paid fairly, for example.
I decided a while ago that it wasn’t worth avoiding these conversations just because I might cry and feel embarrassed. Now I just warn people upfront that I might cry, but it’s just my body’s way of expressing my feelings, and I’m still listening and trying to find a way forward. I also try and write down my thoughts so I’m prepared for these conversations, rather than avoiding them.
Have you overcome any of these issues? If so, how?
I’m not sure I’ve overcome impostor syndrome, as it definitely pops back up when I start doing something I’ve not done before, or have done badly before! I’m definitely getting better at reminding myself that we all have to learn how to do things for the first time, and that failures are acceptable and a part of growth. I try and read Mindset every now and then to cement that.
What advice would you give others in a similar position?
Find a community of people you can share your experiences with and who can help you grow. Being able to sense-check your responses to things (“am I overreacting here?”) is massive in building confidence. Similarly, share your salary with others and talk about what you get paid — knowledge is power!
Are there any resources you recommend?
Read the Burnout book!
When did you first hear about Triangirls?
I heard about it through my best friend Liv who’s an organiser for Triangirls!
What have you learnt about yourself in the past year?
To repeat the answer to another question, reading Burnout has taught me a lot about myself — why a goal I feel is unrealistic makes me give up, how to notice and be compassionate towards negative thoughts about myself, and to give myself credit for smashing the patriarchy on a daily basis!
I’ve also realised that when I’m tired and doing the bare minimum as a result, it makes me feel worse — to break out of that cycle, I have to do something out of the ordinary and get a sense of accomplishment.
