The future of technology should be shaped by diverse voices. That’s why we are proud to spotlight the incredible women in tech in our team who are pushing the boundaries of innovation, tackling challenges, and inspiring the next generation of leaders in the field.
This article is part of a series of interviews with our team who share their careers experiences. Meet our next interviewee: Kirsten Jacobs , Service Desk Analyst at Netcentrix.
💡What is your current role?
I am a Service Desk Analyst which means I diagnose and resolve hardware, software and network issues for clients. I also monitor and maintain client systems and provide technical support to them where needed.
💡How did you get started in IT?
I was in a technical role in the military, but security clearances made it hard to do this role within a civil environment a lot of colleagues moved into IT using the technical element of our skill set on leaving, so once settled in the area I also switched to this career path.
💡Can you share a little about your career to date?
After leaving the RAF, I spent a couple of years temping whilst we relocated and set up home in North Wales. One of those jobs was at Yale College in their finance department. Through them, I studied a CISCO networking course and joined their IT team on a permanent basis.
I spent the next 15 years working as a 2nd Line Engineer and ultimately team leader for that department, and took voluntary redundancy when all the local colleges merged. I had done a Certificate of Education at Yale, as my role often involved training and I’d covered for IT teaching staff on sick leave etc. So again, I temped, this time as a teacher.
I then joined MWL full-time on the helpdesk, subsequently becoming a full-time 2nd Line Engineer for Elite Group when MWL was acquired, and finally moving over to their sister company Netcentrix in April 2024.
💡Have you noticed a lack of women in the technology industry throughout your career? If yes, how has this changed as your career has progressed?
Yes, unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to be an industry that appeals to many women. I would say I haven’t noticed any more in my environment than when I first started back in 2000. At my son’s university graduation in 2022, I noticed that probably 80% of the computer graduates or more were male.
💡Do you believe your gender has ever impacted the way you have been perceived or treated in your career?
I wouldn’t say I’ve experienced anything out of the ordinary. I have had male customers ask to speak to one of the engineers rather than me and be very confused when informed that I was the engineer. The general response tends to be, “Oh I thought you were all male”.
Generally, within the work environment, with the exception of one manager in a previous company who appeared to have issues with females in general, I’ve never felt undermined by teammates or management.
I guess having never really been a “girly girl” and always working and socialising within typically male-dominated environments means I’ve never really experienced anything different. I have always been in a minority work and hobby-wise, but have found that if you do your job well and work hard you are treated the same as everyone else.
💡What do you think businesses should be doing to encourage more girls and young women to consider careers in technology?
Personally, I struggle with how IT has always been portrayed as nerds in a basement gaming. I think divorcing careers in IT from that image would go a long way in encouraging more school-aged girls to get involved.
I think it’d also be good to promote the huge array of tech careers. For instance, showing the customer service side of technology in roles like 1st and 2nd line support. Speaking generally, lots of women have soft skills that align brilliantly with certain tech careers.
Companies need to move away from requiring degrees for entry-level positions. Get them in the system to start with through apprenticeships and they can progress to a consultancy-type role and do a sponsored degree to further that knowledge at a more advanced level.
💡What is the one piece of advice you would give to a young woman looking to enter the industry or just at the beginning of her career in technology?
Advice would be to anyone entering the industry, be honest, don’t bluff, learn from more experienced colleagues, remember not everyone is technical some of your end users will have skills that you don’t so treat them with respect.
I’d also say to look for mentors and people who want to help you pursue a career in IT. When you [Danielle Hodgson – Marketing] approached me about taking part in this interview, I asked my 20-year-old daughter (who is doing BioMed degree) how many of her school friends went into IT or are studying it. She couldn’t think of a single one, and said to me, “IT tends to be all boys, very few girls are encouraged to get into it”.
When I asked her to expand, she said teachers would actively say to boys that they were good at IT and should consider studying it, but she never heard a teacher say that to a girl. She also compared it to the sciences, saying girls are encouraged to do Biology or Chemistry (at a push!), but never Physics!
The idea that some of her female classmates could’ve been interested in going further with IT, but didn’t because they lacked people waving their flag, is very disappointing to me. So, I’d tell young people to look for individuals who will positively encourage them!
We’re spotlighting the incredible women who are part of our team. Keep your eyes peeled for our next Women in Tech installment.
