- Hello, thanks for participation.

Here is the first question: what’s your

nationality, where did you grow up and how old are you?
- I am Estonian, I am 35 years old and I grow up next to a small town Rakvere, in
the northern part of Estonia.
- Did you go to school in that town?
- Yes, but my school was 8 kilometers away and every day I had to go by bus,
school bus and it was really hard.
- But for university?
- After I graduated in Vinni-Pajusti Gümnaasium, then I started in Tartu
University… informatics, then I decided that IT is not my thing, because it was
like really.. Umm.. not practical in that time. Lots of lectures and we were 5-6 girls
in the groups and others were guys and all together decided that it was not our
thing. Then I decided to do math exam again and then I get better results and go
somewhere to study other things. At that time popular area was logistics,
different types, cars, etc. And then I decided I tried to go there but i didn’t get in
and my second option was in tallin technical university this business information
technology and I thought maybe business is the one I want to study, to become
an accountant or someone who studies economics. And i got in and i did 3 years
bachelors degree and then 2 years master degreee in informatics, IT.
- Do you think that subjects you took during your studies were useful for
your career?
- Ummm… yes.
- Okay, do you know when and why you became interested in STEM?
- I remember that when i was at school in rakvere, once a week I went to IT
training or something and then I started with different things and i know in school
when first computers came also in to our school there were. We did some
programing in pascal it was so weird, we did some drawing and other but i was
not interested in IT at that time, but why i chose IT. umm because i didn’t get in
any other programs. I wanted UT math and statistics, but my math score was not
high enough. Also Economics needed really good results or money, but I didn’t
want to pay for my studies. Then this IT was starting to become popular but not
actually that time, especially for girl. When i went next year to tallin there were
35 people on the course and 7 of them were girls, even on business informatics
program.
- What were your friends or family’s attitude towards your decision?
- They were supporting me. Even my father said that okay you didn’t get in into
this thing you wanted but you never know. And maybe they thought that, okay,
last year of my school there like 12th grade, we bought computer at home and
yeah it was really expensive at that time and i think like my mother and father
thought that yeah it’s good that someone knows how to use it and they thought if
 I learn there then I know how to use it but when they were asking I was oh I don’t
know and there was not google at that time. [laughing]
- So, did you face a negative factors while choosing to continue your career
in ICT field?
- Umm negative factors… I am thinking…. Ah yeah I know that sometimes i had
thought that i should have go more to classes, learn more, becaus ewhen i went
to Tallinn I started to work as a teller and it took a lot of times and it was not
flexible and I had classes and I couldn’t go. In IT we can do it, work flexible but
not on that position, then my grades went down and i felt like when we were
working duing some projects, others were doing more and I was getting small
doing only mandatory part. Working and studying at the same time is hard, you
may lose some knowledge..
- What’s your current position and how long have you been working in this
organization? How long have you been working in STEM in total?
- My current position is software engineer and how to say in this company i came
2004 but i was at home with maternity leave for 6,5 years, like 9 year.
- Let’s talk about your first position in the STEM field in Estonia. What was
your role and when did you start it?
- 2006, when i graduated my bachelor degree i decided that it was time to move
into IT and there were several positions available and I applied for 4 of them, so I
started as system and application tester. I had lot of knowledge how the system
should work, and it was really really good prevelige, because others didn’t know
and i was already really experienced
- How many women colleagues did you have in your organization in the
STEM area? What differences did you feel compared to male co-workers?
- We were like 40 people and women were half of them, a lot of my first manager
was woman as well. So we didn’t feel that much difference from men.
- What kind of barriers did you face in terms of self and career-wise
development back then?
- All went really smoothly, there were different applications, I also learn more about
databases and there were no obstacles I guess. It was okay, no pressure from
manager and the work was okay and I also could to go classes because i was
doing my masters at that time.
- Were you paid less compared to male co-workers?
- Yes! Definitely! I know the thing that when i started, i got along with one guy who
started at the same day and i came inside the company and he came outside. At
that time there was Estonian Kroons and I was told that my salary was 11K
kroons and I know that guy’s salary was 13K, like 2 thousand more and i know
that he asked it and that’s why. I didn’t know what to ask I was working as a teller
for 2 years and i was new in IT and I didn’t know how much, i know he had some
moths experience in Elion on some other IT company, but in that sense that I
knew all the products I had to have this advantage but when I found out that i
was getting less compared to that guy it was a bit demotivation for me.
- I -Now, let’s discuss your current position. When did you start it?
- I started in 2017, August. So it will be 2 years, this year.
- How many women colleagues do you have in your department?
- We have a big department but in my team we are 6 out 16 people.
- What kind of barriers do you face in terms of self and career-wise
development in your current position?
- Yeah I would say that, the area is really complex and when I joined we have lot’s
of information and i had to know everything and i was like my mind was going to
blow. I need to know how all these tools need to work. It would be better to take
only one thing at a time and I would feel overpressured, and I was really really
mixed up. I was like overloaded with information. I would say in my case, i was at
home 6.5 years, it takes you down. You are with only kids, kids,kids… you start
forgeting everything, including English. I think this home period is till influecing
me. I am not still confident.
- Have you felt that some others were looking over because you don’t have
enough confidence and knowledge for now?
- No! Never! They are very supportive. The guy who brought me here, in this team,
he had 6 years experience and he was helping me a lot. Other, team memeber
took me as an even partner, even tho he had more experience. I’ve never felt
that I am female and male co-workers are underdestimating me.
- Are you paid less compared to male co-workers?
- No, I don’t think so. I think in my department it’s not such a thing.
- Do you think that this policy, that everyone should be treated equally, is in
Estonia or it’s just some companies with it?
- I think it’s overall getting better in IT, in other fields there are differences but not
in the IT field.
- As you’ve mentioned earlier, you’ve been working in the technology field
for 7 years. What are the factors that keep you moving in your career?
- I wanted to be challenged and interesting job. Main motivation is interesting job,
also my team is really good. Previously my team was in tallin when I went there
almost all of the were russians and they were talking in russian only, so i couldn’t
understand a word. So yeah team is really important and manager as well.
Previous manager was a bit strange and we were not on the same page. Also,
salary is high and it matters as well.
- Do you think, based on your observations, that the women representation
in the Estonian ICT sector has changed since you first entered this field?
[explain representation as the increase/decrease in the number of women
IT professionals, if necessary]
- Yes! Increased definitely. Now when new IT course starts I believe it’s half-half.
There are lots of IT jobs, it’s basically everywhere. Every area already needs IT
to be competitive. If you are company in electricity and other company in the
same field and with good IT department, I think that company with IT is more
competitive
- Have you experienced the influence of the “Gender Gap” at your
workplace?
- No here is not such thing.
- What recommendations will you give to Estonian females entering the ICT
sector?
- More knowledge you have, more confident you are. Meaning that you need to
learn a lot and there are lots of things and you don't need to be afraid to enter the
IT field. My husband thinks that if you don’t know Java you are not IT specialist,
but you can do many things in the IT sector. You need to be openminded and
there are lots of opportunities. Sometimes men think that women are not that
logical, but that’s not true.
- Have you felt that inside the company?
- No, no, never!
- What local changes [political, educational, socio-cultural] can increase the
women engagement in technology?
- I think nowadays we have these career days and all the IT companies are taking
interns and it’s not like you don't have access to this information. And it Tallinn
 there is gatherings it’s called tech sisters and my sisters have been there and
they like it and it’s really cool. I think in Tartu should be more such things.
- How hard is it to have family and how it affects your career?
- I know that before kids I did a lot of over hours. We were 40 developers and only
2 testers so yeah I was doing a lot, I was going home after 8 pm. But now I have
family and yeah when I am working on something, I am focused and suddenly
you remember to go to take kids or something, so I lose my productivity. I belive
that, yeah that affects in some way. For example if my kid is ill it affects my mood
and I have to take care of him/her. But in my company, i think that no one tells
you bad things about having family and time you spend with family members.