It’s Time to Consider a Career in Software Engineering

On International Women’s Day, we have a guest post from Mary McSweeney, Senior Software Engineer at Bundledocs. Mary shares insights into her experience working in a male-dominated industry to date while also sharing practical advice for those who may be considering pursuing a career in software engineering

For me becoming a software engineer was accidental. My first experience with technology was when I was a young girl playing with my older brothers’ gaming console. From the beginning, I was fascinated – trying to figure out how everything worked and how it was made. It got to the stage where I used to pretend to be sick so that I could miss school to stay home and play with it.

During secondary school, I was good at maths and enjoyed logical thinking where thought structures don’t always have to be linear. When it came to choosing a college course, I applied for Computer Programming. Initially, I believed it would be maths-based but when I started, I realised that there would be a heavy focus on both science and engineering. This didn’t faze me, and I soon became hooked – I knew that this was going to be a career that I loved.

When I started college, it wasn’t the norm for women to pursue STEM-related courses. I remember one experience when I was waiting to get the train from Cork back to Dublin after the weekend. A man stopped to chat with me and asked was I a teacher or a nurse heading back up for the week – you can only imagine his shock when I told him I was a software engineer. Over the past 10-15 years this mindset has changed, and now it is rare that someone would be taken aback when I say I am a software engineer.

Throughout my career, I always refer to the industry that I work in as software, but this has allowed me to delve into several other industries. My work with Bundledocs has taken me down the legal tech route – my younger self never would have believed I could create software that helps legal professionals conduct their work. Opportunity is everywhere – especially here in Ireland. We need more engineers, and we are lucky with the number of opportunities available to people in the software engineering industry.

Working in a Male-Dominated Industry

Working in what is typically referred to as a male-dominated industry has never phased me.

Findings from the European State of Tech Report 2020 stated that 32 per cent of software developers in Ireland are women compared to an average of 30 per cent in Europe.

I never let it restrict my progression and it’s something that you get used to over time. When you are passionate about something you will want to make it happen regardless of what ‘barriers’ may seem to be in your way. Of course, I would love to see more women working in the industry, but overall, I am a huge advocate for diverse teams when it comes to software engineering.

I believe in an industry like ours for a team to be successful you need different insights, different genders, nationalities, age, and skill levels. With an environment like this, there are numerous different perspectives which, when it comes to problem solving, can be a huge help. Where one of us might be stuck on a certain aspect there will always be someone with different levels of experience to help you out. That is what I truly appreciate about my current team – we are a diverse bunch of people from different backgrounds who have brought our own unique experiences to help build what Bundledocs is today.

Advice on Pursuing a Career in Software Engineering

I always say regardless of what industry you work in it is important to pursue a career that you want, regardless of what others think. Don’t let people stop you because you may not fit their idea of a suitable candidate, or you don’t appear to be the same as them. I believe that being different is essential when it comes to a career – especially so in software engineering.

As a software engineer, you will be working as part of a team – but there are also times when you will be working alone with just yourself and your computer screen. As a software engineer, you will learn that frustration and joy are the same thing. When you and your team are looking for a solution, there will be times when just can’t figure it out. You will keep researching, brainstorming, trying, and testing until you get a resolution – and there is no better feeling than in that exact moment. When something finally works it is incredible, you see the hard work you have put in and this is hugely rewarding.

My biggest advice would be to be yourself and be comfortable in the opinions that you have, embrace opportunities to learn something new and always remember to explore the different options that are available to you.

Mary McSweeney is currently a Senior Software Engineer at Bundledocs, the leading global document bundling software provider.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, she has previously worked for DSI and Global Shares.

Throughout her career, Mary has built solutions for many different industries, including Equity Administration, online retail stores, and training systems.