Forem: Annika_H

Share your Coding Playlist 🎷

Annika_H — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 10:36:01 +0000

On twitter, we've asked about everyone's favorite music to listen to while coding/working. Did you have a particular highlight in 2021?

We would love to hear it! Share in the comments or reply to our tweet (hopefully you can also find some inspiration there).

We are hiring - SinnerSchrader Engineers

@s2engineers

The year is coming to an end and we're looking forward to a well-deserved break and a new exciting 2022 ⏸️ Music has made a lot of our days better in 2021 🎇 Do you have a playlist or artists you enjoy listening to in particular while working? Sharing is caring! #codeiscolorful

10:28 AM - 15 Dec 2021

We hope y'all have a relaxing and peaceful end of the year and some time off!❤️

Underrepresented Groups in Tech depicted in Popular Culture - a Personal Review of "Good Trouble"

Annika_H — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 11:24:00 +0000

I don’t know about you but I am always on the hunt for new TV shows to binge in my free time. When one of my friends told me about a series she’s recently watched and approved I was intrigued and had to find out myself if this one was really that binge worthy.

In my country of residence, which is Germany, the first two seasons of “Good Trouble” are available on Disney+ (not sponsored). Luckily I already subscribed so I could start right away.

If you’re wondering why I want to talk about this show on dev.to, let me explain. “Good Trouble” is actually a spin-off series of “The Fosters” (I didn’t know it before) and is about two characters Callie and Mariana who are about to start the next chapter of their lives after university. And guess what? Mariana went to MIT and started her job as a software engineer in a fancy Tech company in Los Angeles.

During the first minutes, I thought that it was another “coming of age-twenty-something-life in L.A.” kind of series and I was actually surprised to see how it quickly developed and critically depicts various societal issues. One of them being how women, or underrepresented groups in general, are treated in tech.

Mariana is hyped and confident that she will rock her new role after she’s been able to prove herself at MIT. Naturally, she wants to make a good first impression and dresses up accordingly. When she meets her team, her dream bursts with a bang. Just like the entire company, the team is male dominated (including the CEO) and instead of appreciating diversity and welcoming a woman on their team, they treat her disrespectfully from day one.

As mentioned earlier, the show depicts various topics, however, I was particularly intrigued by the fact that it deals with the issues of the tech industry. While Mariana reaches her limits in this toxic environment, she also decides to fight the occurring inequalities and starts an initiative to raise awareness and improve things.

I’m not a developer myself but I’ve worked in this field for the last two years and I quickly learned about the grievances, particularly when it comes to inclusion and diversity. In my opinion, the series portrays these quite accurately.

Mariana is a great developer and has to fight so hard to even prove her talent. She is bold and brings the power to address the issues she is facing at her company but before she was there nobody dared to do it. There are other colleagues of underrepresented groups who live in fear of losing their jobs if they speak up and the worst part of it all is that it’s not even .

Just like in real life, the people who suffer from injustice are also the ones who become activists and strive to create a better environment for themselves. Mariana and her colleagues do find allies eventually but the fight is still not over. When she gets a promotion or the chance to lead a project (which was her own idea) she is accused of getting her way only because she is a woman and not because she is good at what she does.

There are so many examples I could name from the show I could relate to as a woman and as an ally to underrepresented people in tech, I could probably even write several books about this topic. In the end, what I want to achieve by talking about the show is to point out that 1. The issue is real (and even has arrived in pop culture) and 2. I really really want people to watch it.

It made me feel empowered because I felt with the characters and it also made me feel hopeful to see that topics like inclusion and diversity (in the workplace but also in everyday life) are incorporated into mainstream TV shows. I know that most of the people who watch shows like that are already educated but I also genuinely wish for people to check it out who are living in their privileged bubble. It’s important to read, talk, share knowledge and listen to each other but it’s also SO GREAT that series like these exist and we need more of this!

This brings me to my last point. I wouldn’t have discovered the series (or the fact that it deals with the tech industry issue) without my friend. But I want to watch more of this stuff and I’m sure that there is more of it out there. So please feel free to share TV shows, movies etc. you know of that critically deal with inclusion and diversity in the tech industry (or the workfield in general). I would love to watch and share them.

Things a female dev who has been in the industry for 16 years has to say

Annika_H — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 13:49:24 +0000

“What being a developer really means” - that’s the name of an internal series initiated by my colleague Feli. When I spoke to her after the first session, she told me that she was so surprised to see how many people joined. I think she hit a nerve.

The tables have turned! In the last two sessions, Feli was the one asking the questions but now it was time for her to share her thoughts with the other participants.

The ultimate question

At the beginning of their career everybody asks themselves (and probably also their managers) this one question: “How do I get rid of the Junior title?” I guess it’s entirely natural to strive for development and promotions. For Feli, however, there are no proper definitions for hard or soft (or as she likes to call them “human”) skills you are required to be promoted. As a Junior you learn a lot, probably more than you’ll ever learn later in your career. She also says that in her opinion, as an Intermediate developer you have to be able to help Juniors whereas as a Senior you should have the capability to mentor them. Creating a plan with your manager and defining which steps are necessary to advance definitely helps and in the end YOU have to be given the chance to prove yourself, in her point of view.

Career and Life Choices

Feli has been working in the tech industry for more than 16 years and started her apprenticeship 19 years ago. From time to time she wonders if it’s the right place for her. 1,5 years after she started her career she had a teacher who told her that “women don’t belong in tech”. Hearing words like these naturally do something to you. No matter how hard it was and no matter how many obstacles got in her way -so far she never quit because she just loves coding too much. Nowadays, and currently more than ever, she considers turning her back on the tech industry for good. At these confessions, the mood in this usually quite cheerful format shifted a bit - it is always hard to hear the struggles underrepresented folks are facing, regardless of how important it is to address them openly. It’s a privileged choice not everyone can make and she’s aware of that. Changing careers can be risky and most definitely scary. Still, she is not the only woman who struggles to feel accepted in tech.

Women in Tech, or out

Just as many women and members of underrepresented groups, Feli has had negative experiences and struggled in the industry because she is a woman. Besides the universally known grievances, there are reasons why women decide not to pursue a career in tech in the first place. Raffaele asked Feli what’s keeping women from considering an engineering job and Feli says that this issue is probably already rooted in our childhoods. This does seem surprising at first, but stereotyping can cause children to develop in certain ways and in Feli’s case that means, she was used to playing with her brother and doing “boy’s stuff”, as it would be considered by society, from a young age. She thinks that this often is the case and once more it becomes clear that we still have a lot of work to do and prove it to the doubters that everyone has a place in the tech community.

After many years, Feli will leave s2engineers 💔 Everyone, especially the dev.to content team, will miss her so much. Her persistent motivation to make the (tech) world a better place inspired us and we wish her all the best!

More things you might want to hear from an experienced developer

Annika_H — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 13:46:53 +0000

“What being a developer really means” - that’s the name of a new internal series initiated by my colleague Feli. When I spoke to her after the first session, she told me that she was so surprised to see how many people joined. I think she hit a nerve.

This assumption was confirmed in the second session. This time she asked our colleague Lasse (Senior Product Engineer) questions and it was interesting and reassuring to hear that everybody struggles from time to time.

It’s okay not to know everything

To kick off the session, Lasse answered Feli’s question about what he’d like to share with Junior developers with “It’s ok to not know everything”. It’s not bad at all to ask questions and nobody will think any less of you. Basically everybody has questions. Maybe they already know the answer to yours but they are still learning and asking questions. When Lasse first did pair programming, he struggled with imposter syndrome because he was he was afraid of being judged if he made a mistake. Nowadays this is how he prefers to work.

The never ending need to Google

Does anybody actually claim to never use Google (or any other search engine) at all? I think they wouldn’t tell the truth. It’s 2021 and Google saves our lives on a regular basis. Of course, Lasse makes use of Google and Stack Overflow as well. We already learned in the previous session with Raffaele that googling or researching is a skill of its own. It’s not just about looking random things up, it takes more to find solutions and potential inspirations. It’s super important to know which questions to ask and how to break down a problem.

Communication is key

It’s okay and completely natural to get frustrated from time to time. Lasse tries not to get angry with code, though. Still, something that really annoys him is when someone doesn’t communicate properly and consequently disrespects his and his colleague's time. Writing code without documentation, for instance or unclear commit messages put Lasse’s patience to the test. If this happens, he tries to talk to that person and sets out to find the source of the problem. Maybe the person doesn’t know how to do it the right way or always did it like this in a previous job. Even if it’s hard, being patient and talking it out helps in most cases.

Thanks Feli and Lasse for this session and the insights and tipps. They certainly help many!

Start the new season right with these two upcoming events

Annika_H — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 09:19:37 +0000

We love events! Depending on where you live in the world (in our case, it’s Germany/Europe), it’s time to say goodbye to summer. While I’m personally still drying my tears because long and sunny days are soon history, I’m excited that conference season is on.

Colleagues of ours are represented at a two of them, so we’re even more hyped to hear their talks and participate in discussions. Here you can find all information about the events we are participating in and which we are especially looking forward to!

FemTechConf, Sep 24-25, 2021

What to expect

“FemTechConf is a female founded tech conference made to empower the women in tech community. Featuring 3 full tracks of fast-paced, tech talks catered for all levels.

FemTechConf isn't just about amazing talks, inspiration and motivation, but also about incredible networking opportunities provided from bringing together 1000s of industry professionals. In September the FemTechConf community gather again to share in this amazing community experience!”

What we’re looking forward to

Honestly everything! But of course we are super proud to see our colleagues Feli and Kristina with their panel discussion about female leadership!
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More Info: https://femtechconf.com/

CodeLand Conference, Sep 23-24, 2021

What to expect

“The most welcoming conference for early-career coders and their champions. Produced by CodeNewbie and DEV, two software communities built on Forem.”

...you have surely heard about it!

What we’re looking forward to

Our colleague Josefine’s talk: "Demystifying Web Accessibility" - where she will talk about the basic concepts of accessibility on the web and how you can get started implementing them today. Check it out!

More Info: https://codelandconf.com/

Enjoy and please share more event tips in the comments section!

Things you might want to hear from an experienced developer

Annika_H — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 07:45:24 +0000

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“What being a developer really means” - that’s the name of a new internal series initiated by my colleague Feli. When I spoke to her after the session, she told me that she was so surprised to see how many people joined. I think she hit a nerve.
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Throughout the session, everyone listened intently to what Raffaele had to say and it to me it seemed like everyone could relate 100% so it would be a shame not to share it with the world.

Learn how to learn and find a good mentor

The first question Feli asked was about what he wished he'd known when he was a junior dev. One of the first and most important things for him was to "learn how to learn". There are many learning techniques and in the beginning it's not easy to figure out which one(s) work best for you. It's always good to have someone by your side to support you, too. Finding a good mentor is essential for Raffaele. He also mentioned that he used to avoid reading code, simply because he didn't understand it. Avoidance is never the best approach but he eventually managed to face these challenges head on.

Pair Programming - Trust the process

In the beginning, pair programming was hard for Raffaele because he wasn't structured. At some point he got lucky and found someone who helped him and told him to trust the process. Doing courses, watching videos and reading theory about it as well as practicing with nice colleagues helped him to get into it. Nowadays, he does pair programming every day and he thinks that it's essential. One thing he also learned was that you don't always have to do it with someone who is more experienced or an expert on that topic but rather do it with people who don't know much about it because they are the ones who challenge you the most and ask the right questions.

Have a little patience, or just rage

One of Feli's questions was whether there is something that really makes Raffaele angry. He said that he doesn't really have a lot of patience when the computer isn't fast enough (who stays calm in those moments anyway?).

Believe in yourself

Finally, Raffaele was asked about his advice for early career developers. Again, he repeated, having a mentor is a game changer and super important. Be your own cheerleader, believe in yourself and don't let the pressure of achieving something super big or a certain title fast get to you. We live in a performance driven world and it's important to remember that we all started out as beginners and nobody's perfect.

Thanks Feli and Raffaele for this great first session. You showed that, in the end, a lot of people do have the same struggles and meet the same challenges in their work - no matter what level.

Trine about robots, her home on wheels and consistent work 🤖🚐💻

Annika_H — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 10:55:38 +0000

Who are you, what are you doing, how did you get to where you are now? Tell me everything!😁

I'm Trine, person of undefined gender, people are free to use whichever pronouns they want. I live in my house on wheels with my pug Billy. I'm a web developer trainee at SinnerSchrader in Berlin. I moved to Berlin about 12 years ago when I was 20 and spent many years in random jobs that paid the bills, but didn't bring me any joy. I never lasted long in any of them. I started an apprenticeship to become a carpenter, I applied to costume design at UDK, I went to Australia for a bit, I worked in several different customer and tech support jobs. I once spent 4 months on a stop motion short film, I think it has reached around 200 views on YouTube so far.

Not a lot of consistency in my past, as you can see, but that changed a few years ago when I joined a one year web development course at DCI in Berlin. This shift from random jobs to something very specific was so exciting and I remember being super motivated by the fact that I could specialize in something without having to go to university for several years.

After finishing the course I joined SinnerSchrader in June 2020. I loved it from day one, everything was new to me and I was learning so much every day.

But we were also in the middle of a pandemic. I still lived in a flat in Berlin back then, but I was struggling more and more with all the restrictions and very limited social life. So in September last year I bought a van with "Kofferaufbau". With tons of support and understanding from work, friends and family I was able to take three months off work to go to my dad's place where him and I built my house on wheels.

My work is now the consistent thing in my life and my house is moving all the time. I think this was a healthy shift.

Sounds like you really mastered work-life-balance!😁 What do you like most about your job?

It's such a cliché, but I love solving problems! I don't know a better way to describe it. When I need to build something it can be a struggle to break it into smaller pieces, but once everything has it's own frame I can lose myself for hours, just solving one problem after the other. And I also love that technology keeps evolving which means there will always be new things to learn. This motivates me a lot. I want my life to be an adventure and if I'm able to have a job that's also an adventure - I couldn't ask for more :)

Sounds dreamy. But there have to be challenges, too, right? What has been the biggest challenge so far and how did you face it?

That I sometimes lose overview! I've learned how important it is to me, that things are clearly defined. I get very distracted if there are lots of vaguely defined goals, tasks, expectations etc, it makes me feel overwhelmed and confused. I've learned that, if it's not already provided in e.g. subtasks, I have to start everything with setting up a "frame", something that helps me understand where my focus should be. If it's a task at work and the description isn't completely clear to me, I start out by defining my own frame. I also try to use this to structure my days, which of course isn't always possible due to team work, meetings etc. But this has helped me to get less overwhelmed.

How do you envision your future? Do you have a plan or are you more relaxed about everything to come?

This is my vision: The robots have become even more advanced and are taking over many of the human tasks. This at first leads to (even) more unemployment, but luckily the humans soon realize that this is an opportunity to reduce the work hours for everybody. Unemployment falls, well-being rises. Everybody is happy. Besides that I don't really have any plans, I don't even know where I will be living next week. I only know that I have found a job that makes me happy and that I want to continue improving and learning new skills.

Interesting vison! Tell me, if you could choose to do anything you like for a living, what would it be?

Here's another cliché: this, this is my dream job.

I'm so happy with my colleagues, the culture and of course the job itself. But if this is too boring, here's my alternative:
I would like to befriend a very rich person who doesn't have any ideas. I have many ideas, but unfortunately not enough resources to make them all happen. So if my new friend would grant me access to their bank account, I would also like to do that for a living.

Nele about ideal job requirements, the desire to do something meaningful and the motivational effect of anger 🎙

Annika_H — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 09:36:41 +0000

Illustration by Stephanie Case

Tell us about yourself!🤗

My name is Nele, my pronouns are she/her and I’m based in Hamburg. About 3 years ago I started as a Quality Assurance Engineer at SinnerSchrader and just recently, I switched my position to Scrum Master/ Agile Coach. Besides that, I'm the lead of our Diversity Skill Group and part of several cool change & social initiatives at SinnerSchrader. What sparks my joy is video games, music, french fries and intersectional feminism.

That's a great variety of interests!🍟 What made you want to switch from being a Quality Assurance Engineer to doing something else?

I loved being a tester and I still do have feelings for it. I mean I really like the aspect of analyzing the shit out of things, thinking outside of the box to catch all cases, trying out things that weren’t expected, bothering developers… but over time I simply realized that I hit the ceiling of possibilities when it came to developing and using my soft skills in the QA.

How come you decided that being a Scrum Master/ Agile Coach would be the right fit?

While I’ve been a QA tester in a cross-functional and agile team, and watching my Scrum Masters doing their job, I eventually found many of the traits I craved in them and their daily work. I like the idea of servant leadership, empowering others to become an autonomous collective and fostering their professional relationships. And I’m really happy that SinnerSchrader gave me the opportunity to do this switch (unpaid ad...🥺).

How did you realize that you needed a job that would fulfill you in a different way as well?

To be honest, all the social initiatives I did in parallel to my daily QA job started to spark more joy than working as a tester. Engaging for people & equal opportunities, driving change, motivating others to join in, questioning status quos, creating processes and being there for my peers and my team made me grow way more than I expected, so that slowly but surely, it shifted what I thought were my ideal job requirements. Somehow it was a logical consequence for me to dig into the idea of becoming some kind of coach.

Can you share some details about the initiatives you’re working on next to your daily job?

To give a little context, the SinnerSchrader Skill Groups are usually a mix between a topic-related study group and a task force, which can be joined by people of all disciplines, levels and studios. They are an independent, non-hierarchical place where people can share knowledge, learnings, groom their soft- and hard skills and drive internal projects next to their normal jobs. We have several of them and when I found that Feli Kugland initiated a Skill Group that focussed on pushing diversity topics in our work environment, I joined and never left, knowing that there’s still a ton of work to do when it comes to diversity in our society. Since then, the skill group organized talks, workshops, discussion rounds and much more, all under the umbrella of creating a safe and welcoming environment for the people of SinnerSchrader.
Considering that the Skill Group handles topics in an overarching and SinnerSchrader-wide manner and therefore decision paths are naturally longer, I’m also part of a studio based Change Team which is tackling similar topics, but in a more decentralized way, focussing on our studio in Hamburg and driving innovation from within. This team is responsible for analyzing pain points within the studio, forming initiatives and promoting change for the overall wellbeing of the people working in our studio in Hamburg.

Can you name some topics the Skill Group and the Change Team are working on?

Among other tasks, we’re currently working on concepts for trainings addressing anti-racism & allyship, we’re deriving next steps for gender pay gap prevention and educating on unconscious bias. We also implemented regular employee happiness surveys, guidelines for inclusive language & meeting culture, celebrated the International Women’s Day and formed alliances with several departments in the company to gather the necessary tools and support, so that we’re able to tackle all these things.

What is it that drives your engagement?🚀

Anger and impulsiveness, I guess...😄
I know this sounds hackneyed now, but what I’ve learned about anger is that this emotion has such a negative connotation although anger ≠ aggression. We tend to equate anger with destruction, violence and even becoming blind from anger when in fact, it’s a powerful vehicle for being consequent and passionate about something that bothers us. It’s all just depending on the driver of this vehicle, and how they’re capable of expressing their anger in a healthy way. There’s so much more to anger than blind rage. Angriness is transformative and potent; the response to it isn’t necessarily fear or dismissal. Once you’re on the anger train, you can be super determined, fast and brave. And since anger is a particularly honest emotion, it holds the power of motivating others to jump onto it, uplifting awareness for things that matter to you, empowering solidarity and creating a stir that simply can’t be unseen.
Well, and same goes for impulsivity. At first glance, reacting on impulses might appear unreflected or hasty when in fact, impulsivity is an intuitive response that comes along with a shitload of bravery. It took me some time to learn not to feel bad for being impulsive and reflect the source of my reactions, so as a result, I could start trusting my intuition instead of suppressing it. As long as we’re being respectful and minding basic human decency, impulsivity and impromptu actions have a high potential of serving a good purpose. If something doesn’t seem quite right or feels unfair, we should normalize releasing our concerns and immediately address them where they belong. Even if it sometimes seems like you’re creating a fuss, trust your gut feeling and learn in the process.

So is this something that you’d like to share with everyone?

Yeah, just own it and grow. Be progressive.
Dare to

<rant>

I’m well aware that this is easier said than done. Sadly, both anger and impulsiveness are united by one aspect which makes it difficult for some people to harness from them; it’s the fact that as women and girls in a patriarchal society, we are still constantly told that anger isn’t suitable for us and impulsiveness is not a “feminine” trait. That we should prevent at all costs to make others feel uncomfortable. That we have to hold back ourselves in order for others to come forward and that this is the definition of kindness. That women and girls have to be nothing else but modest, gentle and nurturing.
Throughout history, our assertive traits are belittled by sentences like “You’re cute when you’re angry”. Being loud and determined about something that bothers us evokes subliminal oppression like tone policing or gaslighting, for instance by calling us crazy, falsely accusing us of being hysterical/ overreacting/ being on our period or a high maintenance Medusa (as if that was something bad!), so that eventually we turn our anger inwards or towards ourselves. It’s striking how deeply all this is interwoven with our identity. And how much we submit to it, without ever calling it into question. Systematically reproduced, we’ve internalized all of it as it was a natural condition.
Nah. I don’t want me, my peers and the future generation to approve of those limitations any longer. I know I’m capable of being headstrong and kind at the same time! Let’s start fighting for each other and allow us to be gentle to ourselves, too. I want us to naturally trust our intuitions, express our emotions and learn from our own mistakes. Let’s normalize failure and stop striving for perfection. And lastly, let’s realize that sometimes, a woman’s anger is a reflection of a collective yearning to break with normative bonds of social control. Let’s start owning and reclaiming our emotions and reactions the way we want, the way we need to. So that we can become our authentic selves again.

</rant>

I’m looking forward to meeting these selves.❤️

Well, that got deep fast!🤯

Yeah, let me know if you need a party crasher!🤡

Voices from Women in the digital industry Pt. 6

Annika_H — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 12:55:54 +0000

Illustration by Marina Vishtak

As part of International Women's Day, we at SinnerSchrader created an internal website that was filled with content from our employees. Among other things, we asked various women in leadership positions the same three questions. The answers were so inspiring that we didn't want to withhold them from the rest of the world. The last part of the series presents Feli Kugland's (Executive Principal Engineer) answers.

What does female leadership mean to you?

Lead by example, like everyone in leadership should do, doesn’t matter which gender they have. Give your voice to those who are not being heard and challenge your male colleagues to do the same. Stepping out of your comfort zone and fighting for a change.

Would you say that being a woman has influenced your way of leading and/or did you have to acquire (or drop) certain qualities to be successful?

When I started my career I was very quiet and shy (it’s fine if you don’t believe me). To get heard I needed to get loud, get comfortable speaking up for myself and others. Nowadays I try to be more quitish, to give others room and try to change those habits I developed over years. Speaking up for others is what I never want to change.

What would you like to tell young women who aim to take a leadership role in the future?

Search for a Mentor and work for your success, nothing comes from nothing. Most important:

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't achieve something.

Voices from Women in the digital industry Pt. 5

Annika_H — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 13:50:26 +0000

Illustration by Katya Citrus

As part of International Women's Day, we at SinnerSchrader created an internal website that was filled with content from our employees. Among other things, we asked various women in leadership positions the same three questions. The answers were so inspiring that we didn't want to withhold them from the rest of the world. Part five of the series introduces Pia Schott's (Managing Director) answers.

What does female leadership mean to you?

For me, female leadership means that women can contribute their skills to organizations just as naturally and confidently as men – both on a professional and personal level. But it is also an expression of a broader social change: The desire to balance work with family and personal priorities needs to become far more accepted in companies. The first steps in this direction are becoming noticeable, but it is a long way to go. There is still a strong relationship between career success and the sacrifice of personal life. To break down this mindset is, in my opinion, an extremely important part of leadership. And to be honest, I'm still in the process of learning to implement that myself.

Would you say that being a woman has influenced your way of leading and/or did you have to acquire (or drop) certain qualities to be successful?

That is a tough question for me to answer, as I struggle to separate “being a woman” from “being Pia”. What I can say is that I have definitely worked hard on certain qualities and still do. This was and sometimes still is a painful process… I try to reflect my way of working continuously and also take external support for it. This has definitely changed my “professional me” over the years – regardless of being a woman or not.

What would you like to tell young women who aim to take a leadership role in the future?

Let’s face it: We are still far from equality in the business world. And I believe it is almost impossible not to be confronted with that during your career. Whether you are labeled as career-obsessed or not ambitious enough. As a Rabenmutter or without enough commitment. As too emotional or too quiet. Too arrogant or too insecure. Too feminine or too masculine.

What I would like to tell you is: You don’t have to do it alone. Look for people who will accompany you on your way. The most important ones for me are:

A mentor, who supports you to expand your horizons, who pushes you out of the comfort zone and to whom you can talk openly about your career ambitions, so that you get the support and encouragement you need.
A colleague, to help and support each other. Having someone you can really trust and rely on (and vice versa) is everything!
A coach, for unsparing feedback and guidance. Not to bend yourself, but to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and learn to use them in the best possible way.

Last but not least, besides the people standing by your side: trust your instincts. I don't want to think in stereotypes, but for me this is one of the most outstanding qualities of women:

Deep down, you know all the answers.

Voices from Women in the digital industry Pt. 4

Annika_H — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 14:15:28 +0000

Illustration by Tatiana

As part of International Women's Day, we at SinnerSchrader created an internal website that was filled with content from our employees. Among other things, we asked various women in leadership positions the same three questions. The answers were so inspiring that we didn't want to withhold them from the rest of the world. In this part we present Sabine Deuter's (Executive Director) answers.

What does female leadership mean to you?

My image of a great female leader – or any leader – is someone who believes in themselves and their ideas, in the people around them and in what they have to offer.

For me, this includes the ability to show respect and empathy, to be a good communicator, not to shy away from responsibility and to stand up for oneself and others.

Would you say that being a woman has influenced your way of leading and/or did you have to acquire (or drop) certain qualities to be successful?

Even in today's working environment, success and leadership are often still defined by male values. My way of leading teams, projects or issues rarely fits into this norm.

But I wouldn't say I've had to give up certain qualities or conform to a certain standard. Rather, over the years I have gained the confidence that I bring qualities that are unique to me and just as valuable as others.

And I firmly believe that women do not have to conform to any standard that has been shaped by men. On the contrary, it is up to us to actively change this and create a new definition of success and leadership.

What would you like to tell young women who aim to take a leadership role in the future?

Be confident, be authentic. Do not think you have to fit in.

Being different can be an asset.

And do not wait for someone to see and promote your work.

Instead, speak up for yourself.

Voices from Women in the digital industry Pt. 3

Annika_H — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 13:24:43 +0000

Illustration by Gloria Shugleva

As part of International Women's Day, we at SinnerSchrader created an internal website that was filled with content from our employees. Among other things, we asked various women in leadership positions the same three questions. The answers were so inspiring that we didn't want to withhold them from the rest of the world. This time we have Kristina Schmidt's (Head of Talent Management) answers.

What does female leadership mean to you?

For me, female leadership is a chance to create more diversity and perspectives.

At the same time, it is also an opportunity to break down old leadership patterns and create new development opportunities, both for individuals and for us as an organization.

Would you say that being a woman has influenced your way of leading and/or did you have to acquire (or drop) certain qualities to be successful?

It is not just being a woman, but my life experience, my history, my friends and family that have shaped and influenced my resilience and me significantly.

It is also my boundaries that have made me learn by overstepping, that have made me have experiences and that have made me learn again and again.

What would you like to tell young women who aim to take a leadership role in the future?

Take chances and be sure: every fall is an opportunity to learn, use your strengths, be brave and trust yourself! Find someone who supports you and your goals.

Forem: Annika_H

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Trine about robots, her home on wheels and consistent work 🤖🚐💻

Who are you, what are you doing, how did you get to where you are now? Tell me everything!😁

Sounds like you really mastered work-life-balance!😁 What do you like most about your job?

Sounds dreamy. But there have to be challenges, too, right? What has been the biggest challenge so far and how did you face it?

How do you envision your future? Do you have a plan or are you more relaxed about everything to come?

Interesting vison! Tell me, if you could choose to do anything you like for a living, what would it be?

Nele about ideal job requirements, the desire to do something meaningful and the motivational effect of anger 🎙

Tell us about yourself!🤗

That's a great variety of interests!🍟 What made you want to switch from being a Quality Assurance Engineer to doing something else?

How come you decided that being a Scrum Master/ Agile Coach would be the right fit?

How did you realize that you needed a job that would fulfill you in a different way as well?

Can you share some details about the initiatives you’re working on next to your daily job?

Can you name some topics the Skill Group and the Change Team are working on?

What is it that drives your engagement?🚀

So is this something that you’d like to share with everyone?

Well, that got deep fast!🤯

Voices from Women in the digital industry Pt. 6

What does female leadership mean to you?

Would you say that being a woman has influenced your way of leading and/or did you have to acquire (or drop) certain qualities to be successful?

What would you like to tell young women who aim to take a leadership role in the future?

Voices from Women in the digital industry Pt. 5

What does female leadership mean to you?

Would you say that being a woman has influenced your way of leading and/or did you have to acquire (or drop) certain qualities to be successful?

What would you like to tell young women who aim to take a leadership role in the future?

Voices from Women in the digital industry Pt. 4

What does female leadership mean to you?

Would you say that being a woman has influenced your way of leading and/or did you have to acquire (or drop) certain qualities to be successful?

What would you like to tell young women who aim to take a leadership role in the future?

Voices from Women in the digital industry Pt. 3

What does female leadership mean to you?

Would you say that being a woman has influenced your way of leading and/or did you have to acquire (or drop) certain qualities to be successful?

What would you like to tell young women who aim to take a leadership role in the future?