Saturday, January 4, 2020
She Codes For Hearst??From Bogota
She Codes For Hearst??From Bogota Please introduce yourself to the PowerToFly community.My name is Stella Miranda. I am Software Engineer from Barranquilla (a city famous for its Carnival), based in Bogota, Colombia. I feel bothered when Im not creating something. I love to dance, watch movies, read a good book, and exercise. I am also a passionate traveler. I have visited some countries, but I dream of going around the world.How would you describe a typical work day?I wake up and departure checking my notifications on my cell phone to check how everything is going, and then maybe read some news also. After that, I get up to make breakfast and get myself ready. Then, I start working on my tasks. I do have my own separate space to work. When I finish a task or I am waiting for something, I get up and take a break. I benefit from that by drinking water, coffee or snack.What advice would you give other women interested in working remotely?I can say it has a lot of benefits. In my case, I wanted to start cooking healthy food, and staying at home allows me to eat better. And instead of being stuck in public transportation to go to an office, I use that time for exercising. I get breaks with a good coffee??better if its Colombian.Do you have any strategies for staying efficient outside of an office? What tools do you use?Make sure youre planning your tasks, establishing hours for your personal things and your work tasks. I have a very comfortable desktop, a high Internet connection (one primary and another one for backup). I have invested in a top-of-the-line Mac. Also, I like to have all work accounts on my phone, so I do not miss anything urgent. I use Any.do for taking notes about all things I need to get done in my day. I use it to create a checklist of the things to do before deploying to production or for preparing a launch.What are the biggest challenges about working remotely? How have you overcome them?Communication??this is my first remote job, and I was us ed to offices. I am lucky to work with an incredible team that is very communicative even though we have different time zones and different cultures. What I have learned the most with this team is how to work truly as a team.What did you like best about working with PowerToFly? I am thankful to PowerToFly for all the help and patience at the beginning of my process. I wanted to go to U.S. and work for a company there, but getting a visa to work in the U.S. is difficult. But now I work there, in a way. Besides that, if I want to be with my family on holidays and birthdays, or be in Germany, I can do it as long as I get my duties done. One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known fo r being in the latter category. If someone says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 million construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot mora to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard Business Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the performance of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of o pen stable and high-paying roles (any project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive innovation and enhance productivity.Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Project managers and project sup ervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88,355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentation technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction industry.
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