Finding Ada

I have blogged before about women in technology in Sydney who inspire me and do amazing things in technology. Of course I did this all before it was cool :) Today is Ada Lovelace Day and my post is dedicated to a person who most might not consider a geek girl but who I believe makes a difference for women in technology... Suzi Edwards.

At the 9 year point in my career, I decided to stop chasing the money of contracting and find a place where I could work with people who challenged me and were fun. I tried 2 full time positions for a 5 and 6 month stretch respectively and had lost hope that it would ever happen. I didn't even know what the hell I was looking for by then.

An old friend suggested I apply to a company called ThoughtWorks. I'd heard of Martin Folwer and Cruise Control but that was about it. The website looked interesting so I applied.

That's when I first encountered the phenomenon that is Suzi Edwards (aka Binky Silhouette) who charmed me while she interrogated me in the phone screen for the ThoughtWorks job. She is a recruiter but not just any recruiter. Suzi is the gate keeper and the bait for those hoping to join our company. Thanks for her, I work with the most amazing, dysfunctional, wonderful people in IT.

I can't tell you about her technical achievements but I can tell you about what Suzi has done from the moment I answered a call from her to right now, in a company, in an industry, in a world that is built for men by men. Just so you know, the company I work for rocks and the guys I have the pleasure of working with are the brightest and most amazing people around. I can not fault them.

Suzi questioned me, tested me, put me up for interviews with some scary ThoughtWorks engineers and used every skill she had to make sure that when she convinced me to walk through the door that I would know I wanted to be there and that I deserved to be. The 9 stages I needed to pass to get in to that company made up the best application for a job I've ever made. It was worth it.

Since then, I have seen Suzi encourage women in all areas of the company (from operations to consultants) to embrace who they are as unique amazing women and to support each other. She does this through brutally proclaiming it across a room, organising women's discussion groups, sponsoring Girl Geek Dinners in Sydney, Chicago and Calgary, giving technical support to watchers of geek TV like Battlestar Galactica, to picking the phone up and calling from the other side of the world to listen to you cry. She never seems to get tired or lose even an ounce of passion for the idea that women belong in this industry and that you'd have to step over her dead body before you could chase any woman out.

There are lots of companies in lots of places that are good places to work. When I interviewed for ThoughtWorks, I interviewed with another very good company in Sydney who were going to pay me more and give me lots of cool stuff. They lost out though because I wanted to work with Suzi at this cool place where a woman with such glam grilled the applicants and championed the cause. That was before I even knew her.

Knowing her has confirmed it. She is a champion of all women in IT. She is a great supporter of women. She is a unique and strong voice for women in ThoughtWorks. She is my friend.

She is my Ada Lovelace Day inspiration :)