Interview: Women in Gaming - Part 3/3
The third of our women in gaming series, Oksana Biletska, Senior Games QA, speaks with EGR about her thoughts on women in the gaming industry. She says, that women thinking about a career in IT and technology just need to take the first step.
The IT and technology sectors are still male-dominated, and this makes it tough for talented and skilled females wishing to work in these areas of the industry.
In some respects, females need to not only prove to employers that they are just as capable of doing the role as their male counterparts, but that they also bring something extra, too. Females are just as passionate, motivated and dedicated as their male colleagues, but they often have a different approach to tasks that can be beneficial to the work environment. Women are often excellent when it comes to conflict resolution. We tend to exhibit more empathy, intuition and self-control, vital qualities when there are points of difference within a team.
Of course, this should not be the case and jobs should be awarded on merit. But combined with being just as talented, qualified, skilled and experienced as male candidates, means that employers should be onboarding more females to their IT and tech teams. The young women I speak to about entering the online gambling sector, and particularly in IT and tech roles, have some deal of self-doubt over their ability to find a job once qualified.
This is already changing as more organisations encourage female candidates to apply for roles, and as attitudes towards women in tech and IT become far more welcoming and positive. Of course, there can always be more done to help improve the number of women applying for and securing jobs in IT and tech.
I suggest that online gambling organisations – from operators to suppliers via regulators, lawyers and affiliates – actively encourage female candidates to apply for roles. The global gambling sector is huge and there are tremendous opportunities for people – both male and female – to build exciting and successful careers.
As a technology driven sector, this is certainly true for those looking for IT and tech-focused roles and positions – tech and IT are ultimately responsible for the industry’s continued growth. They should also go the extra mile to make clear to female candidates that they really do want to welcome them with open arms. This can be achieved through different associations and groups and well as dedicated awards ceremonies for female employees. By doing this, I truly believe that we will see more female candidates apply for roles in IT and tech.
Personally, I’d love to see more women working in DevOps, solution architecture, mobile development, data analysis and systems administration. I do think this will happen and in the not too distant future. We are already seeing schools and universities running more classes and courses for IT and tech. These institutions are also doing a great job of giving females the confidence to study these subjects in the first place, and to enter the workplace once they are qualified. This is not just limited to younger people, either. Those who wish to change career and move into tech and IT can do so via the great range of courses – both online and in person – available.
Some IT companies even run their own courses, workshops, meet-ups and seminars to help those wishing to train and work in the sector. I really do believe that more women will secure roles in tech and IT in the coming months and years. If you are thinking about doing so, then just go for it. While in the past some have believed that tech and IT are not for women, opinions are changing and for a woman in the tech sector, those archaic beliefs are simply wrong.
Take that first step – even though it can be tough – and you will be amazed by what you can achieve.
This interview was done in collaboration with EGR. The original article may be found here: https://egr.global/technology/opinion/women-in-gaming-a-leap-of-faith/
