K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
A research study by The National Center for Women & Information Technology showed that “gender diversity has specific benefits in technology settings,” which could explain why tech companies have started to invest in initiatives that aim to boost the number of female applicants, recruit them in a more effective way, retain them for longer, and give them the opportunity to advance. But is it enough?
Four years ago, we launched a diversity series aimed at bringing the most inspirational and powerful women in the tech scene to your attention. Today, we’d like you to meet Chelsea Hohmann, Engineering Manager at Stoplight.
Today’s Woman in Tech: Chelsea Hohmann, Engineering Manager at Stoplight
Chelsea Hohmann has been a part of the Stoplight family for three and a half years, serving as our engineering team lead and manager based in Austin, Texas. Before joining Stoplight, Chelsea was a full-stack engineer at Applause and National Instruments. Chelsea is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s in business administration, management information systems, and supply chain management.
When did you become interested in technology? What first got you interested in tech?
My dad was a high school teacher at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy magnet school in Austin. He taught physics, robotics, and a class he invented called SciTech where students had to create a mechanical device that could successfully complete an engineering challenge. So, I was exposed to technology from an early age. I remember building and playing with Lego Mindstorms with my dad, and programming it to do the tango when I was really young.
Fast forward to college where I chose to major in MIS in the McCombs School of Business at UT Austin. The MIS major was more geared towards skills needed to be a Business Analyst so partway through I realized that it wasn’t as technical as I would’ve liked. The Database and Web Application Development classes really solidified my interest in more of the technical side of the major, so I decided to also get a minor in Computer Science as well.
Let’s talk about your background. How did you end up in your career path? What obstacles did you have to overcome?
After graduating from UT Austin I went to work for an engineering company called National Instruments in their IT department building internal web applications to support their R&D department. After a few years in that role, I realized I wanted to work more on a company’s main product rather than internal IT applications so I joined a testing and digital quality company called Applause working on their Automated Testing SDK and dashboard.
After proving to myself that I could, in fact, be successful in a true Product Engineering role, I joined Stoplight, a leading API design company, and I recently transitioned into an Engineering Manager role. The main obstacles I’ve had to overcome are all self-inflicted. I have major imposter syndrome (which a lot of women often struggle with in STEM as well), and I have always struggled to accept that I am qualified for the position I want and/or have. I always felt like since I didn’t have a Computer Science degree, I was constantly playing catch up on my technical abilities. The first jump from working on internal IT applications to actual product development was the scariest, and every change in career since then has gotten easier, but there’s still that little voice of doubt that I have to work to keep quiet. It’s important to remind myself, and the next generation of young women in tech that even though that little voice will always be there, you have to push through it and recognize that YOU are the most qualified person for this role.
Continue reading: https://jaxenter.com/women-in-tech-hohmann-176910.html
Four years ago, we launched a diversity series aimed at bringing the most inspirational and powerful women in the tech scene to your attention. Today, we’d like you to meet Chelsea Hohmann, Engineering Manager at Stoplight.
Today’s Woman in Tech: Chelsea Hohmann, Engineering Manager at Stoplight
When did you become interested in technology? What first got you interested in tech?
My dad was a high school teacher at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy magnet school in Austin. He taught physics, robotics, and a class he invented called SciTech where students had to create a mechanical device that could successfully complete an engineering challenge. So, I was exposed to technology from an early age. I remember building and playing with Lego Mindstorms with my dad, and programming it to do the tango when I was really young.
Fast forward to college where I chose to major in MIS in the McCombs School of Business at UT Austin. The MIS major was more geared towards skills needed to be a Business Analyst so partway through I realized that it wasn’t as technical as I would’ve liked. The Database and Web Application Development classes really solidified my interest in more of the technical side of the major, so I decided to also get a minor in Computer Science as well.
Let’s talk about your background. How did you end up in your career path? What obstacles did you have to overcome?
After graduating from UT Austin I went to work for an engineering company called National Instruments in their IT department building internal web applications to support their R&D department. After a few years in that role, I realized I wanted to work more on a company’s main product rather than internal IT applications so I joined a testing and digital quality company called Applause working on their Automated Testing SDK and dashboard.
After proving to myself that I could, in fact, be successful in a true Product Engineering role, I joined Stoplight, a leading API design company, and I recently transitioned into an Engineering Manager role. The main obstacles I’ve had to overcome are all self-inflicted. I have major imposter syndrome (which a lot of women often struggle with in STEM as well), and I have always struggled to accept that I am qualified for the position I want and/or have. I always felt like since I didn’t have a Computer Science degree, I was constantly playing catch up on my technical abilities. The first jump from working on internal IT applications to actual product development was the scariest, and every change in career since then has gotten easier, but there’s still that little voice of doubt that I have to work to keep quiet. It’s important to remind myself, and the next generation of young women in tech that even though that little voice will always be there, you have to push through it and recognize that YOU are the most qualified person for this role.
Continue reading: https://jaxenter.com/women-in-tech-hohmann-176910.html
