Rea works as a Software Engineer in IT at ALTEN. She is proud and excited to be part of the ever-growing women community in the technology industry. Rea is also active in our internal network Women@ALTEN where one of the main purposes is to inspire young girls to choose technical professions. 

What is your career background?

— I am originally from Albania, but came to Sweden as an Erasmus exchange student; when I chose Software Engineering as my career path, I was well aware that I was entering a previously men-dominated field, but did that scare me? Maybe a little bit, but as I discovered I was in for a for a lot of fun, mind-challenging and satisfying experiences.

— Ever since I graduated in 2020, I have worked with several clients in the industry such as Bombardier and Scania as an IT consultant and there is so much to discover. Very stimulating indeed!

You are part of Women@ALTEN. Please tell us more about its purpose.

—The purpose can be narrowed down to three main points:

• Strengthen the relationship between women at ALTEN
• Attract more women in the industry to choose ALTEN as their employer
• Inspire younger girls to choose technical careers

What does it mean to be part of the network?

— Being part of Women@ALTEN is very empowering and allows me to meet a lot of women and hear their histories of success. And it is these histories that we want to share with younger girls to inspire them to join the field. Furthermore, we organize a lot of other activities to improve our soft skills, team-playing abilities and in the end of the day just to enjoy the company of each other.

 

“Sometimes it might feel like all the odds are against you, but can you really know unless you try?”

 

What advice can you give to women who want to go into technical careers?

— Once your goal is set and clear, consistency and hard-work will definitely help you get there. Nothing is too difficult and you should never doubt yourself! Fun fact: By commonly held definition of programming, Ada Lovelace is known to be the first programmer in the world! And you guessed it, she was a woman.

Who is your female role model?

— There are a lot of famous role models that have successful careers in big companies and who been campaigning to get more women into technical careers like Belinda Parmar and Sheryl Sandberg. But personally, I believe that role models can be found in our everyday lives as well. My role model is my auntie, an audacious woman whom nothing can hold back from achieving her goals. Sometimes it might feel like all the odds are against you, but can you really know unless you try?