Zarina Majidova

I think just believing in myself that I can do it has been crucial, because when you're not in tech, it seems like such a complicated field and you don't think you have a chance. But you have to just believe in yourself that you can do it and find the right resources. Also, reaching out to people who might help you has been a game changer for me. Growing up, I was raised that no one wants to help you if you ask for help, that if they don't have any reason, they wouldn't help you. But just reaching out to people for help, especially women in tech, changed everything. When I was interested in getting a position in tech, I reached out to women who were already in tech, and I had some mentorship sessions. They helped me a lot to find the right tools, how to study, and at that time I was a student so I didn't have enough budget to take expensive bootcamps, and they helped me find the right resources almost for free. I think reaching out, asking for help, and reaching out to the right people - you have to know who to reach out to. Now there are so many platforms where you can get free mentorship, like ADP List, where you can just book any mentor and they would be happy to help you.

I had a mentor when I was working in a bank, and he mentioned that consistency is key, and one is always bigger than zero. So if you do something, it is better than you do nothing, like towards learning and improving yourself. Even if you spend like 5 minutes improving your skills, enhancing your skills, it is still better than not doing it. So try to be consistent with your learning and always improve your knowledge, because tech is not something that you study in college and you stick with it. It is improving every day - we have new tools, new technology - so you have to keep up with it. I try to spend consistently at least 30 minutes a week to learn new technology, new methodologies. That advice was a game changer for me.

My first advice is always consistency is key, because it was something that helped me. Get yourself out there and don't wait until your portfolio or your work is perfect to share with the world. That is very important, because as designers, as people in tech, we usually chase perfection - we think if we design something it should be perfect so people don't judge us. Don't be afraid of judgment or critique. Welcome it and share your work early in the process. That way you're going to improve faster. Don't wait until you have everything to look for a job. Even internships, even unpaid internships might be helpful, though I would advise against that - there shouldn't be unpaid internships - but it is still better than doing nothing. Men usually apply to positions that they are not qualified for, and women usually do not apply to those positions if they don't think they are 100% qualified. Men apply when they're at least 60% qualified, but women do not apply until they are 100% qualified. We should learn from that and change that mindset. Don't wait until you are perfect to start earning from this job or to get your work out in the world.

I see a lot of challenges for especially international students. I was an international student, and it is very difficult to find a job that is willing to sponsor you. That has been the biggest challenge for me, but it doesn't apply to everyone - it specifically affects immigrants. Once you're in there, once you're in there, then you can move forward and more opportunities open up.

First, empathy. I'm a designer, so I design for people who are not necessarily tech-savvy, so I try to be as empathetic as possible for people whose first language might not be English, or they might be from an older generation who are not comfortable with tech. Everything should be as clear as possible for the target audience. The value is that you should be empathetic towards everyone. As a designer, you are not the user, and you shouldn't consider the average user as yourself. You have to put yourself in the user's position and be user-centric in everything you do.