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Stories from the WIT Trenches: Laura Wallendal

[Stories from the Women in Tech Trenches is a series of posts exploring the personal stories of real women in technology. Every woman in tech overcame, at the very least, statistical odds to be here; this blog series aims to find out why, and what they found along the way. This week we met up with Laura Wallendal, Co-Founder and COO of EdTrips. EdTrips is a travel company centered around the school field-trip process and keeping the focus on learning rather than logistics. With a background in languages and art history, Laura found that fusing the tech world with her passions of travel and education could create meaningful strides in the classroom. Laura shows that the tech trenches are not solely relegated to those within the math and science fields. If reading her story inspires you to share yours, please email me.]

Laura Wallendal

I’m the Co-Founder and COO of EdTrips, an edtech and travel company.  Originally from Friendship, Wisconsin, I moved to Boston in 2004 and co-founded EdTrips in 2011 after years of experience in the educational travel industry. At EdTrips, I head up strategic partnerships and business development.

Questions:

1. Can you take us back to your “eureka!” moment—a particular instance or event that got you interested in technology?

It wasn’t until after training for my first mud run obstacle course in 2010 that I became interested in solving problems with technology.  I wanted a way to coordinate with other people who had the same interest in crazy obstacle course events. That led me to create my first website. At the same time, I was working in the educational travel industry and seeing a lot of ways that things could be done better—for instance, the basic ways in which travel was booked. Solving a problem using technology for my personal interests gave me the confidence to begin tackling those problems I saw in educational travel, and begin seeing that I could start to solve them.

2. Growing up, did you have any preconceived perceptions of the tech world and the kinds of people who lived in it?

No. I wasn’t really exposed to the tech world until I got to college. Growing up in rural Wisconsin, I was one of the first kids in my grade to have a home computer, and our family had internet access before my elementary school even did, so technology wasn’t a focus in the community.  Given my tech-sheltered past, I never imagined starting a tech company.

3. You co-founded EdTrips in 2011, and since it’s been a way to integrate technology within the classroom. Can you tell us a little about EdTrips and the company’s overall mission?

EdTrips is a tool to streamline planning and managing school travel. Whether a field trip, overnight trip or overseas trip, EdTrips is an open and flexible platform that decreases the workload for the trip organizer. It handles everything from payment collection to forms, so travelers and educators can focus on learning, not logistics. It’s our mission to make travel a part of everyone’s education.

4. What was the inspiration behind EdTrips?

After working for a large educational travel company, I moved on to do consulting for 3 small travel abroad companies.  Doing sales and business development for both large and small companies, it was evident that trip organizers were in need of a solution to help manage travel online, the way individual travelers have so many tools to use. Doing payment collection by hand, managing accounting and recruiting travelers with spreadsheets and inviting people with emails, phone calls and flyers is time consuming and we knew there had to be a better way.

5. What led you to this career path? When did you first start working with tech? Was it by choice?

After realizing the work I was doing with teachers and schools could be done better with technology, I immediately called a friend from college for advice.  He recommended I look into building a platform using Ruby and made introductions to several development shops around town to get quotes and find that sweet spot for our Minimum Viable Product.  I gave myself a crash course in a new way of thinking and solving problems. I was hooked!  It was absolutely by choice and now I could not see myself doing anything else.

6. Did you experience any personal or systemic setbacks at any point of your academic or professional career?

Yes, I have faced both personal and systematic setbacks in my academic and professional career.

When I was in college, my younger sister passed away of Leukemia and my academic career was severely disrupted.  I took a semester off and transferred schools to be closer to home and got my higher education back on track.

When it came to looking for a job, like many recent grads, I found it a challenge to find what was right for me. Eventually I landed in sales for an educational travel company and found something I was truly successful at, enjoyed, and found rewarding. I was the top performing sales person on my team, but found the politics a turn-off. I switched teams and eventually decided to leave altogether and work for myself. Continue reading Stories from the WIT Trenches: Laura Wallendal

Stories from the WIT Trenches: Wendy Neal

[Stories from the Women in Tech Trenches is a series of posts exploring the personal stories of real women in technology. Every woman in tech overcame, at the very least, statistical odds to be here; this blog series aims to find out why, and what they found along the way. This week we met up with Wendy Neal, belovedly known in the SharePoint community as SharePointWendyIf reading her story inspires you to share yours, please email me.]

Wendy

I started my career as a web developer, and when my current company brought SharePoint into the organization in 2007, I was completely hooked. I like to blog about my SharePoint experiences, and enjoy speaking at user groups and conferences to share what I’ve learned over the years.

1. Can you take us back to your “eureka!” moment—a particular instance or event that got you interested in technology?

I’m not sure there was one single moment where the light bulb turned on and I realized I wanted to pursue a career in technology.  I do remember taking a BASIC computer programming class in high school and thinking it was kind of neat.  I even wrote a couple simple video games for fun.

It wasn’t until I was working as an office manager for a small electronics company in the mid ‘90s that I realized I really enjoyed working with computers, and more specifically, creating websites after I built the local office website.  The whole Internet thing was brand new, and it fascinated me.

I knew I wanted to create websites, however I didn’t have a bachelor’s degree, so I wasn’t getting any job offers. I decided to go back to college to finish my degree. I declared my major to be Computer Science and attended school part time for the next 3 years while working full time until I obtained my degree.

2. Growing up, did you have any preconceived perceptions of the tech world and the kinds of people who lived in it?

I don’t think I had many preconceived notions about the world in general back then. I grew up in a small town in rural Iowa and probably had no idea what was going on in the world around me. I only knew a couple people who worked in the technology field and I had no idea what they did. Besides, I was too busy planning my career as a professional football player (in elementary school), and after that I wanted to be a pro beach volleyball player (high school).

These were also the pre-internet days, and my family didn’t even have cable TV until I was in high school.  The fact that I didn’t know any better was probably one of the reasons why I didn’t have any reservations about pursuing a career in technology once I finally realized that was the direction I wanted to go.  I just decided that’s what I wanted to do and I did it.

3. As a SharePoint architect, reputed speaker, and evangelist, what led you to this career path? When did you first start working with tech? Was it by choice?

My first job upon graduating college was working as a web developer for a company that provided clients with stock market web sites and solutions.  I loved it!  I worked with Microsoft’s classic ASP and also did a little SQL and JavaScript programming, then moved to ASP.Net when that first came out.  After four years at that company, we got purchased by another firm and they closed the office that I worked at. 

I then started working for my current employer, GreatAmerica Financial Services, starting as a Microsoft .Net software developer, then gradually moving into the world of SharePoint Development.  Eventually I was doing nothing but SharePoint-related work on a daily basis, including development, branding, administration, and even training our users.

I became heavily involved in the SharePoint Community in the summer of 2011.  The people I had admired from afar up to that point, who gave their time endlessly, really inspired me.  I wanted to give back and help others like those who have helped me over the years; so I started a blog, which led to writing articles for prominent SharePoint sites like NothingButSharePoint.com, and then to speaking at user groups and conferences.  I’m even currently working on an upcoming jQuery and SharePoint book.

4. Did you experience any personal or systemic setbacks at any point of your academic or professional career?

It seemed I had always had weird health issues off and on since I was a teenager that no medical doctor could ever diagnose. In the fall of 2009 my symptoms manifested, and I became very ill and missed about a month of work. I had never felt so horrible in my life. I think it was by sheer will and my fear of hospitals that I forced myself to start eating and slowly regained my strength. Thanks to a wonderful naturopathic physician I was finally diagnosed with multiple food allergies and hypothyroidism. Now, with a simple change in diet to eliminate my food allergens, and a few natural supplements to control my hypothyroidism, I feel like a new person.

I also feel that being physically and mentally healthy for the first time in so many years opened new doors for me.  It boosted my confidence levels and allowed me to venture down the road of public speaking.  I felt like I could try new things and not have to worry about canceling plans or backing out at the last minute for feeling sick.

5. Whom do you look to as mentors and/or sources of inspiration?

One of the people I admire most is my late Aunt Wanda. She fought various forms of cancer for over 17 years, eventually succumbing to the disease in 2000.  Many times she was told by doctors that she only had months to live, and she fought to stay alive each time. And she did it all with a positive attitude; I never saw her in a bad mood, no matter how miserable she was feeling due to her illness and treatments.  It has taught me that the mind is very powerful, and that you can literally do anything if you set your mind to it. Even when people tell you otherwise, if you believe then you can.

6. Why do you think the rate of attrition for women in software engineering is higher than that of women in most other tech fields?

I think it’s because the ratio of women to men working in the software engineering field is extremely low, even lower than some of the other tech fields. For example, I’m the only female on our team of eight developers. I think a young woman starting out in this scenario can feel isolated and alone at times. If she has no female mentors or role models to look up to, she may feel stuck as far as understanding how she can advance her career. Often times a man will get promoted after he saves the day or performs some other heroic feat for the company. Women, on the other hand, have a fear that if they make a mistake they’ll be demoted or devalued, so they build systems that don’t crash in the first place. This is great; however, they rarely get recognized for that fact, which can leave them feeling unappreciated and unnoticed when promotion time comes around.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to get more girls interested in computers and computer science? Is this important to you?

I think there may be a misconception among girls that all careers in computer science are either hard or boring or that computers are just for geeks.  If girls knew that there were many opportunities out there besides the perceived “geeky” jobs like programming, it may open their minds to the computer science field.

I think education and mentorship at a young age are the key to getting more girls interested in technology.  In my opinion all girls should take an intro to computer programming or engineering course in high school.  They may realize it’s not quite what they thought it was.

8. Do you have any advice for women interested in computers and computer science? Is this important to you?

I’d say go for it, and don’t let anyone hold you back!  Don’t listen to the naysayers, and just do it if that’s what you love. The technology field definitely needs more women, because they bring a unique perspective and diversity to the workplace. Women are typically good at multitasking and relationship building, and having more women in the industry also brings more viewpoints to the table. Hopefully companies are recognizing this and trying to recruit more women into computer and technology roles.

9. Do you have anything to add that you haven’t had a chance to mention?

Don’t be intimidated by the possibility of working in a “man’s world.”  Especially if you want to be a developer. You will likely be one of a few women, if not the only one, working on a team of men. Be comfortable with that. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind and hold true to your convictions when you think you’re right. Your coworkers will respect you for that. And if they don’t, then you’re probably working for the wrong company. Find a company that has integrity and supports a diverse work culture, or start your own.

Stories from the WIT Trenches: Abby Fichtner

[This is the ninth in a series of posts exploring the personal stories of real women in technology. Every woman in tech overcame, at the very least, statistical odds to be here; this blog series aims to find out why, and what they found along the way. This time around we chatted with Abby Fichtner (t|ln), better known as Hacker Chick for her devoted work with Boston startups. Recently named Founding Executive Director of hack/reduce, a non-profit big data hacker space, Abby is in constant search of shaking up conventional wisdom and finding out what lies beyond. If reading her story inspires you to share yours, please feel free to email me.]

Hi! I’m Abby Fichtner – although more people probably know me as Hacker Chick. I write The Hacker Chick Blog on how we can push the edge on what’s possible, and I’m about to launch a non-profit hacker space for big data called hack/reduce.

Prior to this, I was Microsoft’s Evangelist for Startups where I had the most incredible experience of working with hundreds of startups. I’ve been alternately called the cheerleader and the guardian angel for Boston startups. I love this community and am super excited to launch hack/reduce to help Boston continue solving the really hard problems and keep our title as the most innovative city in the world.

Questions:

1. Can you take us back to your “eureka!” moment—a particular instance or event that got you interested in technology?

I like to joke that programming is in my blood.  My Dad has been programming since the 1960’s and my brother followed him into Computer Science. So when we were kids, my parents told us that whoever made the honor roll first would get an Atari. This was 1980 and so Atari game machines were The Thing to have.

Sufficiently motivated, I made the honor roll and my Dad came through – with an Atari 800, the PC!  Pretty much nobody had PCs in 1980, so this was pretty elite. For games, we got these Atari magazines that had pages and pages of source code in them and our father-daughter bonding experiences were typing in the machine language to build our own games. Talk about hard core, right?!

2. Growing up, did you have any preconceived perceptions of the tech world and the kinds of people who lived in it?

Growing up I did not want to be a programmer! I thought that was something my Dad and my brother did. I was an independent woman and going to follow my own path. I heard that if you’re really good, they make you a manager. So my goal was to be on the business side of things. Continue reading Stories from the WIT Trenches: Abby Fichtner

Stories from the WIT Trenches: Jen Stirrup

[This is the eighth in a series of posts exploring the personal stories of real women in technology. Every woman in tech overcame, at the very least, statistical odds to be here; this blog series aims to find out why, and what they found along the way. Author of a prestigious BI blog, Jen Stirrup (t|ln), runs a small Business Intelligence company (Copper Blue Consulting) with Allan Mitchell (t|ln) and is an active member of the SQL Server community. If reading her story inspires you to share yours, please email me.]

Meet Jen:

“I have been a SQL Server Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for nearly one year, in the SQL Server discipline. This allows me to connect more deeply with the great minds and kind hearts in the MVP community and at Microsoft. One day, I hope that I won’t be as tongue-tied when I meet the other MVPs that I’ve admired for such a long time!”

1) Can you take us back to your “eureka!” moment—a particular instance or event that got you interested in technology?

When I was eight years old, my Uncle gave us a computer that he’d fixed. It was a little Sinclair ZX81, and I loved it. I learned to program in BASIC, and my love of technology has been with me ever since.

2) Growing up, did you have any preconceived perceptions of the tech world and the kinds of people who lived in it?

My perception of the tech world was shaped by older males in my family, who took the time to involve me in all things electronic and computer-focused. For example, my grandfather was one of the first television engineers, and continued to be impressed and excited by technology until he passed away in his mid-eighties.  One of my great uncles was a spy during the Second World War, and worked to code-break Japanese codes. Their experiences combined to influence me, and continue to do so until this very day.

3) When did you first consider a career in technology? What did you envision doing?

Initially, I wanted to train as a psychologist and I had a specific interest in cognitive psychology. I used my programming skills in order to set up psychological experiments and I found that I preferred it to psychology.

I moved into Artificial Intelligence, moving from my cognitive psychology and programming background. I was fascinated by the algorithms that attempted to further research into human cognitive processes. I still see Artificial Intelligence alive and well, but in a different guise (e.g. search technologies).

4) Did you experience any personal or systemic setbacks at any point of your academic or professional career?

In the first two years of my son’s life, he was critically ill on occasion. At some points, he was given an hour to live. His illness was a constant stress, and I obviously couldn’t work as he recuperated. I’m glad to say that he survived, partially due to his own tenacity and zest for life. I’m very grateful to the doctors and nurses who saved him, despite the odds.

5) Whom do you look at as mentors and/or sources of inspiration in your field?

I am inspired every day by people in the community, particularly the Professional Association of SQL Server (SQLPASS) community. There are a huge number of selfless volunteers who give up their time to create training material, give presentations, and provide help and support to people who are on the path to learning SQL Server.

6) How has your participation in both the on- and offline SQL Server communities changed the way you look at and work with these technologies?

I’ve learned a lot about business benefits and perspectives from interacting with people in the community. Someone might ask a question which seems strange, but when you start to understand the ‘why’ of the question, it becomes clear that there may be a strong business reason for doing something, even if the proposed technical response seems strange.

I’ve met members of the Analysis Services, Excel and Reporting Services teams, and I’m hugely impressed with their dedication and innovation to provide high-quality products and solutions that SMEs can afford.

7) Why do you think the rate of attrition for women in software engineering is higher than that of women in most other tech fields?

I’m not sure if this is the case, cross-culturally. From my own experience, the issue is perceptions about returning to a technical role after maternity leave. Women leave the field for awhile, and then lose confidence to come back to technology since the tech world has moved on so fast. I have to say that, after returning to work after having had my son, women should not lose confidence in coming back to technology after having had a child. Remember most of the guys you work beside are also parents. The technical skills are transferable to newer versions and editions.

8) Do you have any suggestions for how to get more girls interested in computers and computer science? Is this important to you?

I think it is important to show girls that technology can help people. For example, Microsoft uses technology to help girls across the globe, in partnership with UNESCO.

Don’t dismiss girls from technology, at an early age. Teachers need support in the classroom to make sure that girls also get attention and equal education in subjects such as math, computing science and so on.

Stories from the WIT Trenches: Stacia Misner

[This is the sixth in a series of posts exploring the personal stories of real women in technology. Every woman in tech overcame at the very last statistical odds to be here; this blog series aims to find out why, and what they found along the way. Those of you who work in the SQL Server BI arena are mostly likely familiar with Stacia Misner— the consultant, instructor and prolific author is one of  the MS BI stack’s greatest champions. Here, she talks tractors, the SQLBI community’s collective consciousness and growing up in the stars. For guidance and in-depth tutorials on all things SQL Server, SSRS, SharePoint and BI, check out Stacia’s blog and books! And if reading her story inspires you to share yours, please feel to email me.]

I’m Stacia Misner, a business intelligence consultant, author, and instructor specializing in the Microsoft business intelligence stack. I have been working in the business intelligence field since 1999 and started my own consulting company in 2006.

1)      Can you take us back to your “eureka!” moment—a particular instance or event that got you interested in technology?

I’ve always been interested in technology in one way or another. My parents were both programmers, although I don’t recall growing up thinking that I would follow in their footsteps. I was always very good at math and science, and was properly encouraged in those areas. I had the privilege of growing up in Houston, in the heart of the space industry, so all my friends’ parents (mostly fathers at the time, I suppose) were engineers or scientists. Technology seemed a normal part of life, and my friends and I grew up expecting that it would become more and more like Star Trek as time went on. Continue reading Stories from the WIT Trenches: Stacia Misner

Stories from the WIT Trenches: Debra Dalgleish

[This is the sixth in a series of posts exploring the personal stories of real women in technology. Every woman in tech overcame at the very last statistical odds to be here; this blog series aims to find out why, and what they found along the way. If you’ve ever sought Excel-related help online or in print, chances are you’re familiar with Debra Dalgleish, one of the foremost authorities on Excel and Access development and the author of three books on pivot tables. Here, she talks staring your own home business, getting young girls aware of and excited about careers in tech and kissing correction fluid goodbye. If reading her story inspires you to share yours, please feel to email me.]

Self-employment is the dream job – most of the time. As a computer consultant, working from home, you can set your own hours, schedule meetings at convenient times, or meet with clients online. You’re the boss, so you can pass on projects that don’t appeal to you, if your workload gets too high.

If you have a young family, running your own computer-based business can give you more time with the children, while still earning an income. That’s why I got started, and now, even though the children have moved out, I wouldn’t want any other job.

My work, as an Excel and Access developer, is challenging and rewarding. My clients bring interesting projects, and push me to continue to improve my skills. In this business, there’s always something new to learn. Continue reading Stories from the WIT Trenches: Debra Dalgleish