Life is a rollercoaster
Life is a rollercoaster
My life underwent a complete transformation personally and professionally, but I never gave up on what I believe. If I could give something back, it would be empowering women in technology to grow!
My first love as a child wasn’t for a kid in class. It was for an old-style computer that my father brought home from work.
He also encouraged me to study computer engineering in college, which was a completely new topic, not very common in Mexico, and primarily male dominated.
I admit that programming was a big challenge for me. Out of 100 students in my class, only 12 were women; I didn’t feel I could succeed in the journey by myself and wanted to give up. But I got immense support from my family. My mother asked me to keep trying, although she knew nothing about computers, and my father, who was my first contributor to this journey, kept supporting me.
It takes someone strong to make you strong, and my family’s faith and confidence in me gave me the power to go on. Later, I realized that I was not alone in my struggles – everyone in my class had the same fate. It can be easy to fall into this trap of thinking about success and failure as binary. But every time we “fail,” we learn something new that can change our direction or what we decide to value.
From theory to practice – this was (and still is!) my tech journey
Although nobody had clarity on the future of computers at that point, I decided to jump right into the game and got my first job in a candy company, of all places. At the time, I honestly didn’t live with a purpose or have a technology direction, nor did I have big hopes and dreams for my future. Still, I was lucky enough to have a manager who loved experimenting with new things and allowed me to start my technological journey.
I built the whole company's check-in and check-out programming systems from scratch. At the same time, I’ve invested time in self-learning and attended workshops to improve my technical proficiency and English classes. I soon realized that working there could not help me improve or grow my technical expertise, as I was the only technology expert in the company and had no one to learn from or look up to in this area.
There were nights we went without food
My second job was as a developer in a Mexican Bank, but then, my husband, who started his own CD manufacturing business, needed someone who could help him expand his business. I joined him and took many roles in the company, from HR to sales and business analysis. I started developing software for billing, logistics, and sales, which worked very well and boosted my confidence in myself, helped me gain more technical knowledge and set my business acumen. Our business grew well, but we had to close the company after 12 years when the demand for CDs declined.
We lost everything. We had two kids and were left with no money or savings. Sometimes, even food was sent by my parents. I then realized I must stand up on my feet to help my family recover, and once again, I started upskilling my technical abilities and communication skills.
"We lost everything...I then realized I must stand up on my feet to help my family recover, and once again, I started upskilling my technical abilities and communication skills."
Amdocs gave new meaning to my life
It's said that dawn approaches when the night is the darkest. Amdocs was my dawn in this case. While we were still struggling, my neighbor told me about Amdocs and the exciting technological opportunities available to me there. I reached the Amdocs office in Mexico for my interview but didn’t get the job in the first round. I didn’t lose hope as I knew that this was where I wanted to be and applied again. This time I was offered a fantastic opportunity at Amdocs as a Business Analyst.
From that point, life started getting better. I realized that my struggles had made me forget who I was and what I wanted, and I felt like I had lost my identity.
Being in a technological role helped me find myself again. I was doing things I was passionate about and was surrounded by amazing managers and colleagues. I instantly found myself in a different place in my life, personally and professionally. Looking back, it was the best thing I could have done for myself.
Make it happen and never give up
While working as a Business Analyst at Amdocs, I realized how much I love managing people along with technology. When I asked myself what makes me happy in a role and what I need to be successful? I knew that the part of team lead would be the answer for both, and I decided to apply. My manager did not think I was ready for the role, but I have always believed we should get tougher when life gets tough. I took this as a challenge and decided to learn different programming languages like Java and UI technologies. Finally, I applied for a position in a different business unit within Amdocs, and got the job there. I believe I made it happen through my ongoing efforts and determination.
Today, I am proud to lead a team of eight people with diverse technological backgrounds at Amdocs Technology. I have not stopped there and am getting ready for the next step. Amdocs has brought out the best in me!
My life underwent a complete transformation. I believe I’m a fighter and never give up on getting what I think is suitable for me. If I could give something back, it would be helping others be successful as professionals and empowering women in technology to grow!
