You will never know everything about everything, nor should you ever try to know everything about everything. Decide what your niche is and get really, really good at that. And then support yourself with individuals that can supplement where you lack. Hello, and welcome to the latest episode of Unraveling IT, Expert Tech Talks. I'm Nikita Iszard, Digital Marketing Specialist here at Corsica Technologies. We are very excited to be participating in the very first Indiana Women IN Tech Week this September from the 15th to the 22nd. And so I thought it would be a great opportunity to spotlight a few of our women in tech here at our Fort Wayne office. It's no secret that tech is a male-dominated field, so we thought it would be really insightful and also really important to have some conversations with women who have already forged their path into technology, learn more about their careers, and what advice they might have for future women in tech. So let's get started. First, I'm speaking with Stephany Alarcon, our Director of Client Experience here at Corsica. Thought it'd be a great place to start and talk with her about her journey so far. Thank you, Niki. Thanks for joining me, Stephany. So would you mind sharing a bit about your journey into the tech industry, how you ended up here, and then a little bit about what it is you do on a daily basis? Absolutely. So I kind of fell into the tech industry by accident. I was looking for a new role, and it was really a good opportunity for me to sharpen my already, what I consider, decent tech skills Mhmm. And really get some formalized, you know, training and knowledge behind all of that. So started off in a customer service role. I was a client service advocate and really used that and took that to heart. That position has helped inform and create where I am now, which is Director of Client Experience. Mhmm. A typical day for me is never the same, balancing open projects that we have for clients that are currently onboarding and balancing being an advocate for strategic clients that we serve, meeting potentially with new clients, making them at ease of what they will experience in their time here. Those are just a few of the things that I find myself doing, you know, on any given day, but, also, I like to think of myself as a really good resource for anyone within Corsica. You have a question, come to me. I'll never think it's, you know, silly or anything. No dumb questions. No dumb questions. I remember a conversation I was having with a coworker, and we were talking about VMs. Mhmm. And he just looked at me and said, do you know what a VM is? And I said, yes. A voice mail. And he said, no. It's a virtual machine. So I'm like, got it. So really just that person where, you know, if you have any sort of question, if you need assistance, I think my colleagues here would be able to say that I jump in and help anytime I can, which ultimately does help improve the client experience. That's awesome. Could you share any challenges that you personally faced as a woman in the tech industry and how you have managed to overcome them? Yeah. Most definitely. So I would say challenges faced would be definitely imposter syndrome. You look around and, you know, you have so many people who have had formal training in this industry. So it is very, very easy to feel like you don't belong. It's important to remember that you bring a very specific skill set Mhmm. That a lot of your other counterparts probably don't have or do have, but aren't as developed. The ability and comfort of connecting with people, speaking to large groups, really taking something that is pretty technical in nature and bringing it down to a level where everyone can understand. Exactly. I think those are the things that have really helped me out. And in turn, once I gain knowledge about something that is pretty technical, I like to also share it to everyone else in layman's terms. Absolutely. That's how we grow. That's how we share knowledge. So now you know. It's a A VM is a virtual machine, not a voice mail. You've kind of been functioning a little bit as a safe space for someone to come and ask questions. You know, did you have someone when you were getting started, like a mentor, someone you could go to for that kind of advice? Yeah. So, I have a background in higher education. So, really, it was a space of learning, of development, and a lot of mentorship happened there naturally. Yeah. So definitely bringing a lot of what I learned in my past life to Corsica and making it a place where we look to empower those around us, where we look to say, hey. Here is an area where I see the ability for us to help to to do whatever we can. So I think I've definitely brought some of that over with me. But I think that individuals here specifically at Corsica who have impacted my career and influenced my growth, there's been no formal mentorship, but definitely there's an unspoken culture of women helping women. Mhmm. And I think that is such a beautiful thing. Sarah Benz- Mhmm. She definitely has been a rock for me to lean on to say, hey, I do not understand this. Can you please help me see it from a different perspective? Mhmm. Terri Jennett is also another one. People like to say she is aggressive or a bulldog, but Terry knows her stuff. Yeah. What she does on a daily basis is impressive. So really just being able to see how these women operate, to interact with them, to gain feedback from them, and really collaborate, that has been a great part of my experience here. And then, you know, to put an added layer of that, they understand what it's like to be a working mom. They understand what it's like to be someone in, you know, this environment. Anything that you tell your friends or tell your family, but these women, you all get it. Absolutely. Just to wrap things up a little bit, you know, tech is constantly evolving, ever changing landscape. So how do you stay up to date with the latest in tech and, you know, everything that's going on in the news? I think I've almost, like, cheated the system when it comes to staying up to date with the latest advancements and trends. So, really, my hack is talk to people. Mhmm. Interact with the big brains around you. We work with some phenomenal people that admittedly are introverts. Mhmm. So getting some information on what they think is the best course of action is sometimes difficult or even, you know, sometimes they don't share an opinion. Mhmm. So being as blatant to say, hey. What's your opinion on this specific subject? Mhmm. I think it fosters the the culture of, like, innovation that we speak about. Yeah. It fosters the ability for everyone to participate and to give different, you know, kind of perspectives on a piece of technology or how something can be used. So definitely my hack for staying up to date is talking to my coworkers and understanding what it is that is helpful to them Mhmm. What it is that they are passionate about because most of the time, you'll find some really good information there. Well, thank you so much, Stephany, for coming on to the podcast today. I really appreciate you taking the time to speak with me about, you know, some of your history and also just your experience here at Corsica. So thank you again for joining me today. Thank you, Niki. Pleasure. Now I have the pleasure of speaking with Tracy Jolgren, our Director of Human Resources here at Corsica. Being the Director of HR, she manages and oversees our hiring process, so I thought it would be a particularly insightful conversation to have. Thank you so much for joining me, Tracy. I really appreciate it. Super happy to be here and excited for the conversation. Awesome. If you wouldn't mind, could you share a little bit about your journey into the tech industry, how you ended up here at Corsica? Yeah. Absolutely. My HR background is mainly in manufacturing. But being in manufacturing, kind of behind the scenes, there's so much tech involved. So I always had that in the back of my mind. And when I made the transition to Corsica, my husband actually worked for a tech company, and I just thought that was super cool. I had always been, I guess, like, the IT person in my family Mhmm. My parents. And so I just kinda liked it. So I figured I'd give it a shot. Got employed with Corsica, and I've been here for almost three and a half years. Awesome. Could you share a little bit about what it is that you do or what, like, a typical day looks like for you? Yeah. Every day is different in HR. So that's one of the things I like about it. I do over see the hiring process for new hires. That includes their onboarding experience as well as every employee here, their overall experience with Corsica and love getting to talk to each of our employees every day. But whether that's, like, a simple problem or question they have, you know, it's my job to make sure that that gets completed. And then, you know, I do handle payroll. We've started stay interviews to kinda see what's working and what's not working with employees, and that provides us with some great feedback on areas we can improve, things that might make the overall experience better for our employees. Going back to the tech industry and since you are looking at people's resumes, their skill sets, what skills or knowledge areas do you think are pretty crucial for women to focus on in today's job market? So for the people that are early in their career, I would highly suggest internships because you can learn all the stuff from the books in school, but there's something about on-site internships that, for me, I learned so much just by jumping in and being in the workforce. So Mhmm. I suggest all the young women out there, whatever you are with your career education, try to get an internship if you can. And then another thing I think is extremely important on top of education is, certifications. Mhmm. So you really can never, in my mind, cannot have too many of those. Right. I recently got my HR certification, and not only did it help me learn so much more in the HR field, there's also a huge tech side Yeah. Of the SHRM and all of that too. So certifications on your resume and just having that knowledge is something that people can't take away from you, and they help you stay up to date with different tech trends, trends in your industry. So, yeah, certifications, I think, are something that people should always try to describe. Lots of our positions have the certification requirements, and that's something I look for on resumes. I might look at that before I even look at their name. Mhmm. So, you know, being a woman in tech, you know, that would help you stand out from the men who, you know, previously in the history of the tech industry, it has been a male dominated field. So getting all the knowledge you can, all the education, education is a great way to, you know, move up and be ahead of the others in the tech field. Definitely. So you mentioned, you know, technology traditionally being a male dominated field, and this is, you know, a little bit more of an opinion question, but as someone who has been involved in hiring, you know, do you have any opinions on why? It's kinda like with, I guess, video games. Most people associate boys or men with video games. Mhmm. But there's so many women out there that are just as good. So I just think it's a common misconception. They might be interested in IT when they're getting out of high school Mhmm. And thinking about what to do in college, but it's just, you know, ingrained in us to think it's a male dominated field. Mhmm. Women just look over it because it's always been, you know, oh, the IT guy's coming. The IT guy's here. It's just something that people keep saying. So I think in the back of our mind, we just think it's meant for men. That's a good point. Actually, it seems ingrained. It's as simple as, you know, a lot of them heard stuff like girls don't like math or, like, girls aren't good at science. And there's more of a focus on changing that perception, but it's little things like that that we kinda program in our brains. Right. So that's why I'm so excited about this Women IN Tech Week. It's Women in Tech, Girls in Tech. Hey. It doesn't have to be just guys. Absolutely. Jump in if you're interested. Go for it! Mhmm. And you can do just as well or even better. We've been really excited to be participating in this first Indiana Women IN Tech Week. I know that there's a lot of events that are being planned as a result. So what initiatives are we taking part in to help attract more women to the tech industry and to Corsica in particular? So Sunday the 15th Mhmm. Is the kick off, and we are actually attending a brunch. Mhmm. A handful of the women here in Fort Wayne are gonna be there, myself included and you as well. And, we're highlighting all of our women who work here. And then next weekend, the 21st, I believe, there is a job fair in Fort Wayne. So we could talk about our positions that we have available, who we've hired in the past is what I plan on talking to the attendees about. And as well as, mock interviewing. So that's one of my favorite things to do to kinda get those first-time interview jitters out. Mhmm. So if you've been in college and you haven't really had a first position experience interview, stop by our table and we'll go through that and we'll provide some feedback. I always say interviewing is so fun because you get to talk about yourself. And especially for women in tech, you can talk about your journey, what got you in here. Mhmm. The interviewer wants to hear that. So just it's a great chance to talk about your journey, why you chose tech. And so I'm very excited to hear all those people's experiences next week. That's awesome. Thank you so much, Tracy, for joining me today for the podcast. I really appreciated hearing your perspective, you know, as someone in HR who's seeing the hiring process and seeing people's journeys. You see them as they're happening through their career. So I really appreciate you coming on and talking to me today. Yeah. Absolutely. Thank you for having me. Super excited for this week. And finally, I have the pleasure today of speaking with Sarah Benz, our director of vCIO services here at Corsica. She has a unique perspective when it comes to working directly with our tech teams internally as well as with our customers, and she's got a more hands on experience, then I'd love to talk with her about that. Thank you so much for joining me today, Sarah. I really appreciate it. Yeah. Happy to be here. Awesome. Would you mind kind of sharing a little bit about your tech journey, your career, and and what led you here to Corsica? Yeah. Absolutely. So I actually started in a recruiting capacity for technical resources and those pursuing a technical career path. Mhmm. So I worked in higher education Mhmm. And advised students who were looking to get degrees and certification in computer networking and programming, computer science in general. So I learned a lot about the field and that helped me understand gaps in the market, which ultimately helped me be more successful in guiding our clients and gaps that they have in their organizations and how we can be most helpful for them. Then I transitioned into becoming an advisor to clients directly rather than those entering the space. Okay. Could you kinda tell me a little bit about what it is you do on a daily basis? Yeah. Many, many hats. At the end of the day, my primary job is to make sure that our clients are getting everything that they need and are having the experience that meets the high expectations that our leadership team has. So that could be anything from digging in and researching very researching very technical data to reviewing client calls to make sure that we're responding in appropriate ways and ultimately making sure that we are structuring the products and the support that we offer to keep up with the market Mhmm. To make sure that we are staying ahead of trends and that we really remain subject matter experts and leading voices in the field. So you've had an career path going from advising young professionals who are just getting out of education. In your experience, what have you seen as some of the biggest challenges that women in the tech industry who are just starting out? What what do they face? Being in this field and working with countless clients, everyone from c suites to executives, directors, IT managers, office managers, administrative personnel, it ultimately comes down to representation, I think. Women have got a key voice in organizations, but at the decision level and the representation for leadership and C-suite, we're still in the minority. Yeah. And I'm very much of the belief that you have to know some things possible to set out to achieve it. Absolutely. And people say that representation matters and it really does. Mhmm. You know, as as a professional, I can honestly say that there were no women for me that were role models Yeah. That helped me drive towards my career goals. Right. I had to be very self motivated. I had incredible men along the path that helped me, but it would have been really wonderful to have a woman set that example and helped me realize that the sky's the limit. Day in and day out, when you look on social media and company dynamics, more and more women are in tech. My daughter went to Purdue, for example. The number of females in their engineering programs is increasing dramatically. Mhmm. But it's still not equal. Right. Right? So we have work to do. And I think just being present, making our knowledge and our experience known and available to young professionals that are coming up Mhmm. Is really important to, you know, whether there's representation in your own organization or or an organization that you seek to work at, whether it's there or not, seek out people on social media. There are incredible women on LinkedIn that are advocates for women in tech that I follow and are incredibly inspiring. Find that representation somewhere and get inspired by other women in the field. Speaking about representation and and the and the challenges that women face when they're starting out in tech, in what ways would you say that your unique perspective as a woman has influenced your approach to technology or problem solving or has even been a benefit having that unique perspective? Sure. So I think that women by nature are more inclined to follow on the empathetic side. Right? They are gonna be more inclined to react subjectively rather than objectively. Mhmm. I found myself in a number of scenarios where approaching it with emotion Mhmm. With compassion, with empathy, to try to understand where either a client or an employee is coming from Mhmm. Helps to really navigate what pathway we should take to come up with a solution that is sustainable and can be replicated. Data isn't everything. Right? You know, I have male counterparts who are able to support me and support those empathetic slash subjective pathways with the data that I need to support where I wanna go and how I wanna do it. But the soft skills of being able to read a room, understand the dynamic, read between the lines Mhmm. Especially when we're dealing with engineers and tech professionals all day long. Yeah. And many people go into that field because they don't want to have to deal with people. Right. Right? And so then we are tasked with creating relationships and supporting these individuals and left to fill in the gaps and try to not only read the room Mhmm. But anticipate those needs ahead of time. And I believe that the female perspective is when it comes to that. Since you have a particularly unique perspective, having started out as someone who has been advising young professionals starting out in their careers, what advice would you would you give to young women who are just starting out in tech or just considering maybe starting out in tech? Is there anything that you would wish you had known when you were starting out? Absolutely. Tech is like the universe that is ever expanding. You will never know everything about everything, nor should you ever try to know everything about everything. There's an endless set of resources, free classes with Microsoft. Mhmm. You know, if you're a potential network engineer, all of the top vendors, Meraki, Cisco, Fortinet, have got learning pathways. Decide what your niche is and get really, really good at that. Death by detail and perfection is the enemy of done are two of my favorite sayings. Yeah. Decide what your strengths are, go all in, and then support yourself with individuals that can supplement where you lack. Thank you so much, Sarah, for joining me. I really appreciate you taking the time. Very glad that I have a wealth of resources of amazing women who are happy to speak with me today on the topic. So thank you again, Sarah. Thank you.
