We didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Plecto Superheros - Patrycja Kieliszek. She is part of our amazing Development team based in Poland, optimizing Plecto and guaranteeing that you always get the best version!
We were able to separate her from the computer screen for a couple of minutes so that you can get to know more about her and her story as a #womanintech.
Do you want to know more about our colleague? Check what she told us!
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m originally from a small village in Poland called Turbia. Starting from the very beginning, something funny that I remember from my childhood is that I was never into dolls.
Instead, I would rather play hide and seek with my friends or even sneak out of the house on quite a regular basis, like a rebel child.
Then, during my teenage years, I got my first computer when I was around 13 years old. I recall spending lots of time playing videogames with my younger brother. Well, most of the time we were just fighting over whose turn it was to play on the computer, but still…
Some years after, when I finished High School, I moved to Warsaw to start my studies on English Philology, which has nothing to do with IT at all!
Apart from studying itself, moving from my small village to the capital city was a big step in my life at the moment, but a very exciting one. New challenges were just in front of me now, you know, a big city involves big responsibilities!
So… How did you start with development?
Actually, that’s a funny question, because my experience in IT started when I lost one of my jobs.
While I was looking for a job in the field of English Philology, a friend of mine - who was a Web Designer - told me that his friend was looking for someone to take care of the content of his website.
I was, of course, interested in finding a job, so I talked with him and he showed me the basics of HTML and CSS, and it just clicked! I really liked the idea behind writing lines of code and seeing the instant impact on the work. It was back in that moment where I realized this was what I really wanted to do in my life.
And then, after some time, I got introduced to Javascript, and that’s when the real fun began!
How has your experience been as a woman within the tech field?
Personally speaking, I’ve never felt any sort of discrimination during my career, but it’s indeed a fact that there was a lack of women in the IT industry. Fortunately, it’s getting better and better each year, but back when I started, we really were a small percentage.
I would say I’ve never had a problem with that either, I always got along with my male colleagues pretty easily. However, maybe it’s because we were so few women in IT back then that this stereotype of women not being bright for tech started.
But, as I said, I feel there’s a lot of awareness about this thought not being true at all, which is helping women move forward in their careers.
If I were to give advice to anyone considering a career in Tech, I would just say: go for it! There’s a huge demand for different roles and skills. What helped me throughout my different working experiences was to be determined to pursue my goals. It requires high commitment, but it certainly pays off!
And finally, what does a typical day look like in the life of Patrycja Kieliszek?
I’m a Frontend Developer here at Plecto, so a typical day probably involves coding and fixing bugs. In my spare time, I read a lot and listen to podcasts, from cybersecurity to astrophysics. I learn something new every day!
I’ve also recently started my studies in Information Management, which I’m very excited about! It’s more in the field of IT, so I can gain more theoretical knowledge and practice at work.
As for the future, I’d like to become a Senior Frontend Developer working 100% remotely, so I can combine it with my other dream, traveling around the world on a Catamaran with my friends.
There’s no such thing as dreaming small, right?
