Throughout my career, I’ve held many different titles encompassing many different industries and specialties. I have a very dynamic background – I can do a wide array of things with the many skills I’ve honed over the years. A storyteller by nature, I use both written and spoken word to form relationships wherever I go, both personally and professionally. I like to joke that I finally have “the confidence of a white man,” because I’ve reached a point in my life where I’m proud of my accomplishments and my talents.

So it might come as a surprise to many that it was only recently I even considered myself a “woman in tech.” You see, until my time at Silverline, I thought the phrase “women in tech” only encompassed women who were actually studying and/or directly working in STEM – meaning engineers, scientists, doctors, developers, and so on. I did not think that I, an executive assistant turned salesperson turned operations and marketing manager turned executive assistant once again, counted as a Woman in Tech. I am not an engineer! Science, while fascinating, was never my strong suit. Heaven knows I couldn’t get into medical school, and my attempt at learning HTML many moons ago was laughable. Me? A Woman in Tech? Right. Sure. Okay.

And then I joined Silverline.

The assistant swap

It was a happy accident that brought me to Silverline – a kind of assistant swap, if you will. The previous EA here had accepted the job I’d recently left in San Francisco, a position I vacated because I wanted to move to New York. My former boss asked me to meet my replacement while on a trip to NYC. In this meeting, the fellow practically glowed when he talked about Silverline. He, too, only left his role because he wanted to head to San Francisco. And so it was that later that day, I ventured through a snowstorm to meet Rich and Gireesh, and three weeks later, I moved to New York and started as their EA. 

Since my very first day, I knew it was the place to be. All the things the previous EA said were true – and actually even better! The office overlooks Union Square, which – even covered in post-blizzard slush – is still a lovely view. The snacks and beer on tap are marvelous (especially for someone like me who loves a good happy hour). The benefits are excellent, my favorite being the unlimited PTO, of course. But most importantly, it is the people that have made my experience at Silverline, and who have made me realize that I, too, am indeed a Woman in Tech.

Women supporting women

There are so many amazing women at Silverline, all doing interesting things and facing various challenges that they handle with aplomb. Everyone here supports one another, learns from one another, connects with one another. Working alongside these brilliant minds every day, I’ve learned that you don’t have to have a particular title or STEM background to be a Woman in Tech. That simply by being in the tech industry and helping to propel it forward in whatever capacity in which you find yourself working, and in turn supporting the careers of all of the women the field, you are a Woman in Tech. 

Immersed in technology

Much of my day is spent in Google Suites. A steady stream of messages come to me via Slack. I’m well-versed in Mac and Google keyboard shortcuts (Shift+Command+8 is my favorite in emails). I’m fully immersed in technology daily, and I help our co-founders focus on initiatives that will help our company grow. I am most certainly a Woman in Tech! Furthermore, through my time at Silverline and the mentorship of my colleagues, I’ve honed my Salesforce skills, and in November of 2018, I became a Certified Salesforce Administrator. 

I am so thankful for Silverline and all of my wonderful co-workers for helping me broaden my definition of a Woman in Tech. They’ve lifted me up and given me the confidence to happily talk about my skills and accomplishments, which I in turn try to do for others each day. My hope is that all women, regardless of title, field, location, etc. can have an experience like mine and find their voice. Together, we can make ourselves, our communities, and our world a better place.

Attending #WITConf19 July 26-27 in Nashville? Meet our incredible Silverliners, see our speakers, and find out more about our open roles in person.