Liquid Net Software program Engineer, Alis Klajda, on what drew her to tech, why she loves her colleagues, and the significance of letting passions information you.
Certainly one of Alis Klajda’s earliest recollections is of her father organising his work laptop of their Michigan basement—a Commodore 64. “It was love at first sight for each my brother and me,” she says. “At first, we performed video video games, however that shortly escalated. Quickly, we had been studying BASIC to jot down our personal and finally constructing our personal desktop computer systems.” Now, in any case these years, Klajda and her brother are each software program engineers.
Klajda acquired her first job working at a tech firm straight out of school in 2011. “That was the period of expertise consulting teams earlier than distant work turned widespread,” she says. “The consulting firm I labored for would spend a ton of money and time flying their consultants throughout the nation to work in shopper places of work, away from their households for lengthy intervals of time, dwelling out of resort rooms. It’s form of onerous to think about now, with the widespread adoption of distant work. I needed a greater work-life stability, and finally ended up at Liquid Net in 2014.” She’s been right here ever since.
Now at Liquid Net, Klajda is a software program engineer within the Know-how and Growth division. “My crew builds and maintains lots of the programs important for day-to-day operations throughout the firm. For instance, our billing and invoicing programs, buyer portals, purchasing cart and cellphone programs, and even lots of the merchandise we promote had been constructed by us, in-house.”
What Klajda loves most about working in tech is the folks. “I work with many tremendous good people with intense and fascinating hobbies. I’m at all times rising as an individual and studying new issues from my coworkers,” she says.
Klajda says that her household has been very influential in her profession journey. “They’ve at all times unconditionally supported my life and profession decisions,” she says. “After I was younger, my dad and mom instructed me they didn’t care what I did for a dwelling so long as I used to be pleased. That form of assist actually gave me the flexibility to take dangers and make choices based mostly by myself long-term achievement relatively than social expectations.”
The folks on the opposite aspect of the apps hold her motivated. “On the finish of the day, it’s all in regards to the folks. The purposes I construct are utilized by hundreds of shoppers and a whole bunch of coworkers daily, and if I could make their lives simpler, that’s actually satisfying,” she says.
Exterior of labor, Klajda likes to journey. “A few years in the past, I set a objective to go to each Nationwide Park in America, and up to now, I’ve visited over a dozen,” she says. “I wish to journey old-school road-trip fashion in order that I can see all of the quirky little bits of the US alongside the best way.” She additionally has two cattle canine, Jewel and Chloe. “We spend a variety of time outdoor, mountaineering or on the lake. I’m additionally an enormous fan of stay music and go to a variety of exhibits.”
Concerning the way forward for girls in tech, Klajda says that’s the million-dollar query. “Extra girls are searching for increased schooling in a single kind or one other after highschool, however we actually haven’t seen that uptick as a lot in tech,” she says. “Solely 20% of laptop science diploma holders are girls, and solely 25% of tech staff are feminine. These are fascinating, high-paying careers, so it’s onerous to think about that the work itself is chargeable for that hole. I believe a bigger cultural shift is important earlier than we see full gender parity in tech.”
Her recommendation for girls considering pursuing a profession in tech is easy: “If you are interested in tech — or something, actually — don’t let social expectations steer you away,” she says. “There’s a large quantity of strain from household and society in relation to selecting a profession. Most of that strain is expounded to conventional notions of what a girl’s position in society must be. Quite a lot of girls are steered into ‘nurturing’ roles comparable to nursing or educating; and whereas these are great profession choices, on the finish of the day, you’re the one who has to stay your life and go to that job day after day. Let your passions information your route in life. I believe that’s the important thing to happiness.”
