You're an outdoors person. Why tech?

What is one of your colorful inconsistencies? Those things that are the core of who you are but somehow are opposites that people are amazed by how you glued them together and make you who you are: your essence.

Mine is that I am a computer engineer, spend most of my time in front of the computer coding, configuring things and to be honest, troubleshooting most of the time, but I love being outdoors, exploring and practicing sports.  

The career I choose doesn’t look like a logical step for someone who spent most of her time outdoors growing up, surrounded by nature and living in Costa Rica, the country that has 2.5% of the biodiversity of the entire world. I used to mountain bike with my cousin and my father, get to a river, swim for 20 minutes and then cycle back home. I have walked inside the crater of a volcano that at the time was dormant but now is active. And I was one of the top 25 Crossfit women in Latin America.

Crossfit competition at the Wodapalooza event in Miami

The Vision

I have always been adventurous and competitive. I was encouraged to dream big and work hard. Ever since I can remember, and without consciously knowing it, I constantly spoke out a vision for my life: I wanted to be able to create things, speak many languages and work from anywhere so I could travel around the world. And well, I get to do all this with coding. 

The Coding Adventure

Few people would associate coding to adventure, however, you can get a lot of adventure from solving problems and figuring out things you have never done before. I basically had to train my mind to be ready for inconvenience and to learn how to troubleshoot on the fly. I actually think sometimes I have too much adventure in my work life. 

I am excited that I can work in basically any industry and I can be the one that builds the solutions that people envision in their minds: their babies. I get to see the projects and dreams of other people and I am inspired and challenged by many of them. It is a big responsibility though, I need to deliver so those ideas can materialize.

When I decided I was going to become a software engineer I also decided I didn’t want to be boxed in as the geeky person you see in the movies, the one that never leaves the house, that is a bit socially awkward and that works in the basement. For this reason, I avoided playing computer games and put a lot of effort into looking at how to compensate for that physical inactivity with any kind of movement: basketball, gym, yoga, you name it.

You are a woman. Why tech?

Stereotypes affect what you do and how you see the world and people reminding you of this when you are about to make a big decision in your life can be daunting, especially when the majority of the people in the industry you are going to be working with are men.

Being a woman in technology has been an interesting journey. I did not know any other women that could code. I also had interesting reactions when telling people what career I choose as if they were trying to give me a way out before I even started: “most engineers are usually men”, “oh, but you have to be really good in math”, “you are going to be a monkey programmer and your boss is going to earn the big money while you get pennies”.

At times it is shocking being the only woman in the room or my team but I’ve gotten so used to it that most of the time I don’t realize, which I believe is the scary part. There is still a long way to go to increase the representation of women in STEM. Representation matters, so I am actively working on sharing my story and experience with other women and showing other available options that are different from the traditional ones.

But really why tech?

Coming from Costa Rica, the “Pura Vida” (Pure Life) land, and nature being a key part of my identity and upbringing, I feel this is the time to combine technology with the protection and conservation of our beautiful planet. Time is ticking and we need to work together to switch this mentality that the Earth is an unlimited resource planet.

I am working towards taking my career to a new level. My next step is to transition to industries that protect our planet and are truly looking to make a positive impact in the world. I want to create stronger connections with people and nature and use my technical knowledge and experience in more causes that I’m passionate about. 

I am putting this new vision out in the world again. I am figuring out how on the go but I wholeheartedly believe this is the beginning of a new chapter in my journey, one filled with colorful inconsistencies.

Where are your colorful inconsistencies taking you?