For Vera Senderowicz Guerra, technology was a subject that caused tension while growing up as a young woman in high school. “Boys don’t tend to be so nice at that age and I didn’t like the fact that they knew a lot more about technology than I did.”
However, as many are aware, educational environments often don’t mirror the professional world. Vera is part of the #AiAllies initiative. She showcases how her swift ascent in the technology sector has outpaced all those who doubted her. She also illustrates how a simple readiness to pursue curiosity can pave the way to success for anyone.
Taking time to decide on Tech
“I didn’t want to pick any particular career path at the age of 18. It’s way too young to decide on anything concrete, so I simply decided to follow my curiosity and see where it led me” says Vera.
She earned a college degree in Literature and Linguistics in her home country of Argentina. However, the influence of a close friend swiftly diverted her attention. This led her away from a potential career in teaching the subject.
“A close male friend told me that I was way too smart to be a teacher!”
“It felt a little patronizing at the time and it did actually cause some conflict, but through those discussions, computational linguistics was brought to my attention. I didn’t even know there was a field in which tech and language could cross because the technology sector in Latin America is nowhere near as developed as it is in Europe or the US.”
Finding her Passion for NLP
It was quickly obvious that Vera’s interest was piqued. “There were five people in my school who knew about NLP, so I basically stalked them!”
“I looked at everything they were doing on LinkedIn, which events they were attending and what subjects they were interested in until I worked up the courage to talk to them. They were really happy to help and shared a lot of resources with me, which opened up a whole new world.”
Following her curiosity led to an opportunity to move to Spain and study computational linguistics, which kicked off her journey into tech.
“It’s such an interesting area, because one minute a piece of technology can be groundbreaking and the next minute it’s obsolete. I learned that tech is an incredibly democratic industry because it has to be in order to function right.”
“Anyone who wants to make the sector evolve in any direction necessarily has to rely on others’ progresses, because you cannot invent anything from scratch. That explains why people share their tech knowledge more and more. Most want to spread what they know in order to see if someone else’s fresh look at things can lead to improvements.”
“Unfortunately, that contradicts the fact that there is still gender inequality in the industry, which needs to be challenged and changed.”
Getting a foot in the Tech Industry Door
Upon completing her studies, Vera was set to embark on a tech career.
“Breaking into the field was tough because I lacked experience,” she admits. ‘”So, I’d strongly advise pursuing internships while you study. That’s how you’ll secure a job right after finishing your studies. Once I completed a four-month internship, everything shifted. I started receiving job offers more readily.”
Soon after returning to Argentina, Vera landed a role at Telefónica. She worked in the conversational AI unit, developing text-based virtual agents to assist customers.
“The position was fantastic,” she recalls. “It allowed me to merge my background and education in linguistics with my interest in Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence.”
“But I found that I could get even more specialized, which led me to WeLocalize, which includes my strong passion for translation as a key focus. The thing I like the most about my team at Welocalize is that it’s almost entirely conformed by women, all very talented and with remarkably different backgrounds! I like to think of us as an Oasis that proves that the gender gap can (and will!) be closed.”
Helping to Bridge the Gap to Tech
The #AIAllies initiative has a central goal. It aims to share top advice from women innovating in the STEM sectors. For Vera, the transition from education to professional life is recent. She believes there are several vital pieces of advice that are key to achieving early success.
“A big benefit of working in the technology sector is that a lot of companies are really invested in your progression and are eager for you to learn more by taking extra courses and going to conferences. When starting out, you should make sure that your education is a priority for the company.”
“If you don’t keep up with what’s going on, you’ll quickly get left behind!”
“But that doesn’t mean that you can’t get started and catch up quickly. I have worked with so many people who have spent their career in one industry, only to move into tech and flourish. So, even if you’re working in a completely different field, that doesn’t mean your skills and experience will be irrelevant. In fact, tech needs a huge variety of people from different backgrounds, you never know, you might be in demand!”
“As I also said earlier, the space works in a very democratic way but I still think there needs to be work done to maintain that positive behavior. Sometimes I think that we’re building a whole new society, that doesn’t rely on governments and countries, because there are no real boarders when it comes to technology, virtual spaces and globalization. That’s why we need to make it inclusive for everyone.”
Where to Look for Learning Resources
For those seeking learning opportunities and resources, Vera underscores the worth of free courses. These are accessible from various online sources.
‘YouTube is an amazing resource,’ she says. ‘I thought I couldn’t afford training on certain subjects, but it’s all there. Just remember to take notes and track your progress! Understanding takes time, so be patient with yourself.’
When it comes to the challenges of being a young woman in the tech sector, Vera points out how much she believes the industry has improved compared to a short time ago.
‘I feel I’ve truly benefited from living in a better world and being in an industry that has strived for change. I’ve always felt respected and never out of place. Many other women have expressed feeling the opposite, but I feel privileged that these issues seem to have been addressed.’
Regarding readily available resources, Vera suggests several. These can be beneficial for women seeking to gain experience and expand their networks in the vast tech world.
We Are NLP
An international community of students, professionals and researchers democratizing NLP in Spanish.
NLP.net
A large database of women working in Natural Language Processing that you can freely connect with.
FEMIT
A virtual and free tech conference with a focus on gender.
If you would like to connect directly with Vera, you can find her on LinkedIn, here.