This June 23rd we mark the International Women in Engineering day. This year, we are excited to celebrate it by sharing the remarkable stories of women engineers working across various Wix Engineering R&D sites worldwide. Join us as we highlight these short and insightful interviews with Dalia Simons, Dovilė Lapinskaitė, Irma Hadar, Adi Mor, Olga Virchenko, Neria Yashar and Anastasiia Afanasieva, showcasing the voices of our engineers.
Before reading on with this interview, you can also read:
How we can better support women in tech, Aviva Peisach on SDtimes, and an interview on Tech Strong
3 Wix Engineers Share What Its Like To Be A Woman In Engineering with Gal Sharir, Anat Polachek, and Shahar Nahum - Women Love Tech
Celebrating International Women in Engineering Day, Ziva Tubul - VMblog
Dalia Simons, Server Architect, Campus TLV
How did you first get interested in technology and engineering?
Even though I studied programming in high school, I didn't consider it a career option. Growing up in a small town in northern Israel, I was never exposed to a high-tech company and had no idea what it was like to be an engineer. It was only during my army service that I realized I enjoyed working with technology, so I decided to study computer science in University.
What do you do at Wix?
I’m a Backend Tech Lead in the ecom platform group. I lead complex development projects, and mentor and support other team member in their work and growth. I’ve been in Wix for almost 12 years, contributing to different project and learning so much. It’s been such a great journey!
What inspires you in your work?
I love seeing how my work helps our customers. I think we can really make an impact in the world by helping small business owners grow their business. It’s not saving lives, but I think it can change peoples lifes and it’s a big inspiration for me.
What’s the best advice you have received during your career?
I got a lot of good advice, I’ll name a few:
If you’re asked to do something and you have no idea how, see it as an opportunity to learn and grow: Don’t panic, always say "Yes" and then ask for peoples help and figure out what you need to do.
Make yourself heard: Be part of the conversation and don’t be afraid to express your opinions. Worse case they will not be accepted. As long as you present them in a nice way, and explain why you think this way then it will be appreciated.
A team is made up of different people bringing different capabilities: Don’t think you’re not a good enough engineer if you don’t have the same qualities as your peers. You’re bringing your own special talents, and if you’re in the team then you belong and you have your own unique place.
Please share your top 3 ways to improve yourself as an engineer (what to read, what to learn, who to follow)
I’m active in an Israeli women engineering group named Baot, where I co-managed a community of tech-lead and architects. We have a monthly meeting were one of the participants raises an issue (technical or soft skills) and then we discuss it. I find it a great group to learn how things are done in other companies and learn about new technologies.
I also try to go to one conference a year (in Israel I really like Reversim conference).
But most importantly I feel I learn a lot from my peers at work. I think my best advice is to work in a team with engineers you can learn from.
How do you think we can engage more young women to pursue careers in engineering? What needs to be done?
I think we have to expose young girls to what it means to be an engineer. I volunteered for a few years in a program that gave a programming workshop to 9th grade teenagers, and I felt that the biggest impact on them (more then getting a taste of programming) was meeting with female engineers and being able to ask them questions.
Some of those workshops were in high-tech companies and I could see in their eyes how impressed they were with our workspace. I think you can’t dream of becoming something you don’t know exists…
Dovilė Lapinskaitė, Senior Frontend Developer, Vilnius
How did you first get interested in technology and engineering?
I come from an engineering family - both my father and brother are software engineers. Coupled with my affinity for sciences, it seemed like a natural choice. I feel like engineering lets me solve logical puzzles all day long.
What do you do at Wix?
I am a Frontend engineer at Wix Events. Before that I used to work in the ADI team.
What inspires you in your work?
I enjoy seeing users actually use the products we make, being surprised by all the interesting and clever things they do with it, and hearing their feedback. At the same time, making a beautiful design come to life can be very satisfying. Having smart people around makes me want to up my level and keep improving.
What’s the best advice you have received during your career?
Work-life balance is extremely important and is the only way to stay happy and productive long term. So take care of work, but take care of yourself too.
Please share your top 3 ways to improve yourself as an engineer (what to read, what to learn, who to follow)
No amount of theory beats practice: Do projects, solve real problems, try different things.
Be curious: If you see a concept you don’t understand - Google until you do. Always think how you can improve whatever code you just wrote, what are the alternatives, maybe even entirely different solutions. Listen to other engineers and take their advice seriously.
In-depth: When you do read theory or practice outside of work, pick something that keeps your attention because it’s interesting or engaging. Personally I enjoy solving Advent of Code and other programming puzzles. I try different languages for the sake of it. I like deepening my knowledge on subjects by reading in-depth literature about it, eg. “You Don’t Know JS (Yet)”, or by simply going down the rabbit hole of Google.
How do you think we can engage more young women to pursue careers in engineering? What needs to be done? I think we have to normalize women in engineering. Engineering is not for men or women, it’s for people. Gender should play no role in it. I believe it comes to society breaking gender biases, not sorting hobbies or professions into “better fit” for men or women. That starts with kids, their parents and other people around them.
Irma Hadar, Data Scientist, Namal TLV
How did you first get interested in technology and engineering? My passion for math and science started at an early age, but my true interest in technology and engineering came from my desire to improve processes. As an industrial engineer in the technological unit of 8200, I analyzed the flow of data in various systems and identified pain points in the process.It was during this time that I realized how powerful data is and how much it can affect processes and people.
This led me to expand my skillset and delve deeper into data science, which I saw as a valuable tool for enhancing my abilities.
What do you do at Wix?
I’m a Data scientist in the Data Science guild.
What inspires you in your work?
I find my work in data science incredibly inspiring because I get to create projects that can positively impact people's lives. For example, by developing a Wix project meant for users, we could suggest and prioritize the next best action to benefit them the most. Similarly, for Wix employees, we can reduce the amount of manual work needed through automation. It's incredibly satisfying to know that our work can free up time for people to focus on creative projects with more profound impacts and make their lives easier.
What’s the best advice you have received during your career?
During my career, the best advice I received was to challenge myself by stepping outside my comfort zone. This advice has helped me take on new responsibilities and develop new skills I didn't think I was capable of.
Please share your top 3 ways to improve yourself as an engineer (what to read, what to learn, who to follow)
Keep on learning: Make sure to allocate time for professional development and further learning. One way I've found helpful is scheduling a weekly meeting with colleagues to discuss key takeaways from a recently viewed lecture.
Build your network: Expanding your professional network can be extremely beneficial in the data science field. To do this, attend meetups, join social groups like WIDS (Women in Data Science), or attend relevant conferences to meet and build relationships with other professionals.
Stay informed: Reading short updates (for example TLDR mailing list) on the latest trends can help you stay on top of the field and inform you about what's happening to maximize your effectiveness as a data scientist.
How do you think we can engage more young women to pursue careers in engineering? What needs to be done?
I believe that the most significant challenge we face in encouraging more young women to pursue careers in engineering is providing them with a clear understanding of the day-to-day work experience. One of the major issues, which affects both men and women, is a misperception about technical jobs as a career path that appeals mainly to men. This is leading many women to avoid engineering as a possible career choice.
To address this we need to provide more role models in engineering - men and women who are passionate about what they do and can inspire young people to follow in their footsteps. Women engineering professionals can actively engage in community outreach and sharing their stories with aspiring young women who are unsure if the profession is right for them.
Adi Mor, Senior Front End developer and Tech Lead, Beer-Sheva
How did you first get interested in technology and engineering?
It's a funny story, but my initial plan was to become a swedish masseur. However, my journey took an unexpected turn when I found myself working in a high-tech company after my service in the IDF. Eager for new opportunities, I decided to enroll in a developer course. Much to my surprise, coding came naturally to me, igniting a passion for the field. Inspired by this newfound interest and with a university degree under my belt. After many years I'm even more in love with coding.
What do you do at Wix?
Today, I’m a Front-End Developer and Tech Lead at Wix in the contacts team. My role includes mentoring, code review, architecture design, technical leadership, coding and more.
What inspires you in your work?
A great source of inspiration for me is super-professional developers with a cool attitude.
What’s the best advice you have received during your career?
Be actively involved in your company by conducting code reviews, exploring new technologies, mentoring new team members, and staying informed about the technologies utilized by other teams.
How do you think we can engage more young women to pursue careers in engineering? What needs to be done?
An introduction to coding workshop might be a good idea, just to see if the passion is awakened.
Olga Virchenko, Mobile Software Developer, Krakow
How did you first get interested in technology and engineering?
I was good at math at school, I even tutored schoolchildren after graduation because my university studies in construction and architecture didn't provide enough math assignments. Also, I noticed that the most interesting innovations highlighted on TV news were related to programming and technology. So one day I just put these two facts together.
What do you do at Wix?
I’m a mobile developer in Wix Groups, Feed, Shared Gallery and Media Manager. We have been making a powerful community tool and also recently started to support an infrastructure module which is responsible for functionality with any kind of media in our apps such as upload, preview, etc.
What inspires you in your work?
People who know how everything works under the hood as well as people who are passionate about the project. So my answer is people around me.
What’s the best advice you have received during your career?
There are no stupid questions. It’s weird but sometimes you think that everybody knows everything except you and your question will sound stupid. Mostly it’s not like that and people don’t ask because they think the same thing or just don’t care. But if you ask you will get answers and also help other people understand the topic.
Please share your top 3 ways to improve yourself as an engineer (what to read, what to learn, who to follow)
Courses: You can learn another language, topics adjacent to the development or new tool. Just do it from time to time. It definitely will improve your skills.
Work with many different people: In your guild weeks help someone with his/her project. You will know new approaches and see how other people are dealing with the same problems that you have in your project.
Ask chatGPT: If you know what I mean.
How do you think we can engage more young women to pursue careers in engineering? What needs to be done?
Just ask young women why they don’t choose careers in engineering and fix these problems…
But seriously, I believe the issue lies within harmful stereotypes and the presence of sexism. While I have been fortunate enough to not experience it at Wix at all, I am aware that many individuals in other companies have faced such problems. Perhaps the most effective approach is to actively promote and spread awareness about these issues, fostering a culture of inclusivity and equality.
Neria Yashar, Senior Software Engineer, Namal TLV
How did you first get interested in technology and engineering?
Growing up, even at 7 years old, I was always fascinated by how things worked, numbers and science.
I was really into science books, experiments, I would open up out-of-order electronic devices and try to fix them, look at their parts. By the time I was 10, I got my first computer - I was “playing” with it, trying to explore different programs, customize settings. As I got older, math and science classes were always my favorite, so it was natural for me to engage in STEM-related activities and later on to become a SW-HW engineer.
What do you do at Wix? I’m a backend developer, in ecom platform, developing tax and shipping related solutions.
What inspires you in your work?
Building something meaningful - I enjoy working on products that are used by millions of people, and making websites approachable for everyone! In addition, I really love collaboration with other people and get inspired by almost everyone I work with.
What’s the best advice you have received during your career? Reach out for help, and don’t be shy. People might hesitate asking questions and asking for help, but throughout the years I’ve realized it’s so important to do that, as this will make you a much better and efficient developer.
Please share your top 3 ways to improve yourself as an engineer (what to read, what to learn, who to follow)
Get out of your comfort zone: When you try new tasks and projects, you learn more.
Follow professional groups/pages on your social networks: It will broaden your knowledge without any effort. I personally really love “Boat”, which is a community for women in SW development.
YouTube learning: When something is not clear, I love watching videos about it. You can easily find videos on almost any subject! It’s so accessible and up-to-date. I find it much easier to understand something with visual demonstrations, animations, and diagrams rather than reading long text.
How do you think we can engage more young women to pursue careers in engineering? What needs to be done? As the famous quote goes: "You can't be what you can't see". I believe that the next generations will see more and more examples of women in high-tech companies, working as successful engineers, and that can give them an example and inspire them. As for the young women who are already engineers - I think it’s important for them to feel as part of a community, which will make them better engineers.
Anastasiia Afanasieva, Junior Frontend Engineer, Kyiv
How did you first get interested in technology and engineering?
I guess it all began when I was 9 years old and got my first computer. Back then, in a time without the Internet, things weren't as simple as buying or downloading apps or games from an online store. You had to figure out how to install stuff and mess around with settings and drivers.
Despite being more of a humanities person, with a bachelor's degree in Sociology and a Master of Philosophy, and also I had been working in HR as a Recruiter. But then, one day, I had this itch to give programming a shot. Once I dove in, I realized there was no turning back.
What do you do at Wix?
I’m working as a Frontend Engineer in Editor.
What inspires you in your work?
It's the fact that I can actually see the impact of what I do. I mean, imagine knowing that your work is reaching over 200 million users. That's mind-blowing and carries a massive responsibility. It keeps me driven and motivated to deliver my best.
What’s the best advice you have received during your career?
If a task seems impossible, just start small. It's always better to begin with something, even if it's just a small step, and the solution will eventually reveal itself. Don't be afraid, but rather, give it a shot. Start with what you know and are confident about.
Please share your top 3 ways to improve yourself as an engineer (what to read, what to learn, who to follow)
Practice: I can't expect to truly understand something without diving in and trying it out for myself.
Ask for advice: Ask for advice/code review from more experienced developers and don’t be afraid to ask questions that seem obvious or even silly.
Challenging tasks: Don’t be afraid of hard and challenging tasks. If you don’t know how and what to do, it’s great, in the end, you will manage it and definitely improve yourself.
How do you think we can engage more young women to pursue careers in engineering? What needs to be done?
First, I believe there is no gender bias in the tech industry. We've moved way past the time when it was believed that women cannot know programming or that this profession is only for men. But I think we need to promote awareness and showcase success stories.
The presence of visible female role models in the field of engineering can serve as a powerful source of inspiration for women and show them that they belong in the field. Creating mentorship programs can provide guidance and support for aspiring female engineers. Mentors can share their experiences, offer advice, and help navigate the challenges that women may face in male-dominated industries.
Secondly, it is a myth that programming is uncreative and uninteresting. It's actually a super exciting and engaging profession that involves a lot of creativity and also a lot of interaction with people. I came into programming from a completely different field - HR. And the main skill that I brought with me is the ability to communicate with people, which super helps me in my day-to-day work. Don't believe people who say that programming is just sitting all day with a computer and not interacting with anyone.
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