Her Story
About Tazeen
Tazeen Zaidi serves as Assistant Vice President and Application Development Senior Programmer Analyst at Citigroup, based in Jacksonville, Florida. She entered the financial field at Citi in late 2007, initially working in desktop support as an analyst before advancing to lead analyst overseeing a team of 15 for 12 years. Zaidi then transitioned to cybersecurity, where she contributed for 8 years, before moving into her current software development role in May. In her position, she ensures processes run smoothly, addresses errors, and coordinates with other teams as needed. She is the only woman on her initial team in a male-dominated field and overcame challenges including an accent that once led clients to refer to her as the lady with an accent. Zaidi credits her success to her hard work, good team members, and a motivating first manager who helped her excel. She advises young women entering the industry to be confident, avoid intimidation from male dominance, show efficiency and caliber, and succeed while being nice. Zaidi occasionally consults on cybersecurity projects for a firm in an unpaid capacity.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Tazeen
01What do you attribute your success to?
My hard work, and then, you know, good team members, and my manager. He was very, you know, motivating, and then he, you know, he helped me to excel and shine in my job.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be confident, and don't feel intimidated by, you know, the male dominance. To do your job confidently, and then, you know, show your efficiency, and show your caliber. Just be nice, and then succeed, you know?
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