‘Can I be as I believe myself or as others believe me to be?’ – Miguel de Unamuno
When I was a child, I always knew who I wanted to be. I was reading books by Norbert Wiener and was fascinated with cybernetics, artificial intelligence, and overall computer science. Mathematics was always the centerpiece of everything in my world.
Time passed, I grew older. I started to work with computers, and my dream became that one day my path would lead to a job at the most innovative, unique and diverse company – IBM.
That day came. I joined IBM and my new journey began. I was meeting many smart people, addressing multiple client challenges, and building reference architectures using the state of the art technology. I was working with people across the globe, expanding my knowledge and skills, and thinking “what can I do to make this world better” and “how can my skills be utilized to the best of my abilities?”
I started to think more about my career, what I can do, and how I could continue to grow my leadership skills and serve as a model for others, especially women who are joining the technology field. I realized that this is what I really want to do – build my technical skills, help others, meet with more challenges, overcome them, enjoy it, and move forward again.
I know that my future path will be not easy, as nothing is easy in this life. There are many unanswered questions, and there is a lot to consider. But many things were clear for me, as I know what I want to do and where I want to be. I see a path, and I am happy. Am I ready? That is the question that each of us has to ask ourselves. But we should not be afraid. Joan of Arc said ‘I am not afraid – I was born to do this’ and she led France to free itself from English domination, and she was not even 20 years old.
I am proud to be an IBMer. Here we have the most advanced network of people who are ready to help and share their knowledge. I realize that I am not alone, and when there is a hard time, I have people around me who can help. When they need me, I will be there for them as well.
We have an environment where you can be recognized as a potential leader, grow as a leader, serve as a model, and help others grow to be technical leaders. I love this company and consider it a privilege to work here.
Last year, I was nominated to be part of IBM TWP (Technical Women Pipeline Program), and this year, exactly 12 months later, I was honored to join the program again, but as a coach.
We had a great few days of ATE (Advanced Technical Eminence Program), and it was amazing to see how diverse our company is, how many smart people are around with different backgrounds from different geographies, and I felt how lucky we are. Our company cares about people –the most valuable asset it has.
I want to say to my female technical and non-technical colleagues – never be afraid, embrace the challenge, look at changes as new opportunities, and explore how you can benefit from them. Believe in yourself and know that there are others around you.
I know I have IBM behind me, my network, my coaches, mentors, and my mentees. We are all here together. We just need to reach out.
By Elizabeth Koumpan, IBM Senior Certified Executive Architect
