Tech Diary: Cultural Fit

I've been going over this idea a lot, mainly because I've experienced a lot in a field that professionally speaking (office life) I have yet to enter. I mention here and there about my freelance/temp work that I do, and a bit of the struggle it's been to enter my field professionally, from hoping to find my wave soon to not wanting to fit into a box that companies want me to come in.

Oftentimes I think I'm not doing enough month-month tech-wise, so this is where this tech diary idea came from. My blog is technically speaking a very public diary filled with fitness tips, self-reflections and history crash courses that probably show I'm always curious- the start of quality history tea crash courses was actually because I didn't want to forget the history of the paperclip after writing a thread about it on Twitter.

I've learned a lot this past year from freelance work and through attending tech events, and I wanted some way to document what I've been going through as well as help others with some things I've learned along the way. So, let's get started with this tech diary.

Months ago I attended a free event being given by a coding bootcamp.

The event was marketed to help put your best forward to get that first Software Engineering job. I attended because I was curious - there's always room to learn and fine tune whatever I'm doing in my job search. Up until this point, a lot of my rejection emails are either because I'm not technical enough or because I don't have enough experience. So the person giving the event, about mid-way through, said that when companies say that in their emails they're not actually being truthful.

Now I was curious, that was what every rejection email I was receiving said: We went with other candidates who more closely align with the years of experience, we went with someone with more technical ability etc.

"What they mean is that you're not a good cultural fit."

As the only hijab-wearing minority person sitting at the event, I felt people look over to me for a quick second. And I just remember thinking: Where does that leave me?

It's no lie that I stick out in a sea of white people attending these events. I was once at an event relating to sensors and motion, and I asked an event organizer about the sensors. Apparently I was the only person to guess correctly the type of sensor being used. For this same event, I was the first to arrive for it. After 20 minutes or so the regular tech bros arrived and the event organizers focused on them - asked them what they coded in etc. Apparently they didn't code at all and were just starting out, I wasn't asked what I coded in.

my reaction to basically everything in life

A lot of tech events have alcohol as the main event.

So this goes back to the cultural fit phrasing. I don't drink for religious reasons (I have nothing against people who do drink, live your best life!). Anytime I'm applying, I notice that as part of the perks of working at a place drinking is always mentioned - happy hour, fully stocked beer in the fridge, Friday night drinks.

When it comes to tech events, some usually end with beer. I usually take this as my cue to leave and say goodbye to whoever I'm chatting with- that's usually met with hello this is the time to socialize where are YOU going?

Yes, live your best life drinking but it's not an environment I am comfortable being in and I won't put aside my discomfort for your comfort.

I'll tick every box on the requirements and still get a rejection letter, at least now I know the actual reason why.

I know that some companies use Artificial Intelligence to screen though names and only pass white-sounding ones through. My name funnily enough isn't even Arabic though, minus it being the name of a desert.  But it also isn't as white sounding as the name Sarah. So I'm not really sure where my name falls in the artificial intelligence side of things.

I get along well with people during phone interviews, some even mention that they'll be moving me to the next step only to ghost me after the call and never respond to emails. One thing I think a lot of is the new generation of tech, many of them young girls being encouraged to code. I'm all for encouraging just about anyone to code, but the tech industry is broken and the issue? Those in charge don't realize it's broken because it's working just fine for them.

the sun was blinding me do you know how hard it was to take this pic without squinting

The tech world in some ways is similar to that of the world Daenerys Targaryen lived through in Game of Thrones.

It's a wheel that spins and is controlled by people who tick the stereotypical software engineering box. To them the wheel is working fine. The wheel may be spinning, but it is a broken wheel. Tech isn't so welcoming to 'other' - those who don't fit in the stereotype software engineers of the past always came in.

My sister and I recently did a guest post over on Instagram (fun fact: we both graduated with our bachelors in Computer Science together), we mentioned tech is especially in need of diversity as well as an environment that is welcoming of it. Anyone can learn how to code, but with an environment that does not welcome everyone the wheel spins on while brilliant minds believe the rejections telling them they aren't enough for this field.

I've been thinking recently of innovation in tech - the latest iPhone for example. There wasn't really anything completely new, minus three cameras instead of one, something Samsung phones had long before. It's just a new look masked over what's already been done before. I think this shows a lot about the tech industry. We haven't had, unless I haven't been paying attention, any massive tech innovation as of recent and I have a feeling I know why that is. 

Those who can take tech to new heights and change technology as we know it get sent not technical enough emails - the result? Innovation is practically submerged underwater. How many brilliant minds have left the field before they even entered it because they were told they weren't enough? The tech industry wheel may be spinning but soon (I'm hoping soon, that is) those with a seat at the table will realize that the spark of creativity that drives technology is no longer there.

this right here is a mama approved photo™

How can those with a seat at the table create something for a world that they themselves are so far removed from?

Tech isn't the only industry with this issue, though. Gatekeepers are alive and thriving in every field. Let's take Nabela Noor, for example. She's a Bangledeshi-American Plus Sized Muslim woman who is a YouTuber and CEO of her own inclusive clothing line, Zeba. She recently released a collection with Elf Cosmetics and mentioned in an Instagram post a lot of things that I relate to as a software engineer trying to break into an industry that gatekeepers are thriving in.

She mentioned that she felt like an outsider through her adolescence and that this collaboration was not one that she imagined for 'a girl like me'. What we see around us is what we ingest - if we don't see someone who we can relate to in our chosen fields we have two options: Leave the field or become the person you were looking to relate to.

I can probably write a whole blog post on the makeup industry and how it's inclusiveness is not really inclusive at all, quite like the tech industry to be honest. There's always that one minority person part of a team or at an event so the company can safely say they are inclusive and diversity is important to them™.  I don't think I'll ever forget attending an all white panel and a black woman in the audience mentioning her struggles in the field and the women saying I think our company is very diverse. Nabela wrote this one line that I really related to: We can be in a spotlight shinning as we are, and the words of the people from our past will never hold the power over our future.

You don't have to change the person you are for a company that does not deserve you.

This is something my crochet class tells me all the time whenever I update them on my job search. And it's true. If they don't accept my brain with the hijab wrapped about my head that comes along with it, then they don't deserve me at all and aren't worthy of my time.

Let's talk about the sports industry while we're at it. And no, I'm not going to talk about running because there actually isn't a hijab wearing runner representing any country at this present moment and time at championship races (ya girl will open the gates if someone doesn't make it there before me.) but Team USA does have Dalilah Muhammad who specializes in the 400M Hurdles. She's amazing and a huge inspiration for me. There may not be a hijab wearing runner out there but that doesn't mean there isn't a muslim runner out there.

Okay, I know I said I wasn't going to talk about running but anyways! Let's talk ice. Let's talk Zahra Lari.  Zahra Lari is a figure skater for the Emirates, and there's one quote that she included on an Instagram post that resonated with the way I live each day and breathe through rejection emails: Be confident in yourself and believe that you're a winner. Your self-confidence will make you unstoppable.

laughing = the best medicine there is

I used to be a lot more confident in myself and my abilities before rejection emails.

And I'm trying to find the confident Sahara that I lost along the way. When you're confident, and know you bring value to any table, rejections don't really have any weight because it's their loss for not seeing the brilliance there inside you. When they do come to their senses and see the potential you've always had months/years later it will be them emailing you for your time, not the other way around.

I'm going to be honest, I've thought of leaving tech completely. At the time of writing this, I am thinking of a Plan B that doesn't involve tech. I have friends who graduated with Biomedical Engineering and Civil Engineering Degrees, they can't find jobs because they are met with 'not enough experience'. 

One day, those with a seat at the table will realize their real life Iron Man is no longer in the field because gatekeepers worked hard at the bottom tier to push them out before they even entered, they'll realize massive breakthroughs in prosthetic limbs lies in the brain of the Biomedical Engineer that they turned away, and they'll realize the problem they can't solve with their building layout lies in the mind of the Civil Engineer who changed careers.

I may not be a good cultural fit for companies, from the way I wrap my scarf to not drinking for religious reasons, but changing the person I am for a job isn't an option.

If you're also in the same boat in your field, whether that be as a software engineer, a digital marketer, an interior designer etc. here's my piece of advice to keep going after those opportunities: Be so good at what you do that you can't be ignored.

Your respective fields will wonder why innovation has suddenly gone dry not realizing that their inherent biases is to blame for their downfall. And you won't be there to pick up the pieces.

How was the journey of breaking into your field professionally? How many hurdles did you have to jump?

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