GUEST BLOG BY JENESSA O’CONNELL


ABOUT JENESSA

As an accomplished Technologist, Jenessa O’Connell is using her talent, skills and vision to pave a world-changing career pathway.

Jenessa’s vision helps to combat the notion that ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ by authentically bringing her whole self to the table and encouraging others to do the same.

Paving an impact-driven and authentic career pathway

“Hi everyone!

My name is Jenessa O'Connell and I am a Technologist.

Currently I am a Senior Consultant in KPMG Australia's Technology Advisory service line. Outside of work, I am the Co-Chair for the UN Women Canberra IWD Committee and sit on the Canberra Women in ICT Board as the youngest member. I am also studying a Bachelor of Global Security full-time online.

But I am not just a technologist.

I also have dyslexia, dyspraxia and suffer from Endometriosis.

I am a whole person, and someone who has chronic illness and dyslexic tendencies who is also a technologist, gender activist and a Samba dancing 23-year-old, with big ambitions to change the world!”

 

Turns out you don’t need to be a spy to change the world

“I never intended to pursue a career in Technology.

As a young child my aspirations solely revolved around changing the world by becoming a spy that could take down an army of men with just a finger!

As I grew older, I came to realise that you don’t need to be a daring spy to change the world.

Each action we put out into this world - big and small - has a butterfly effect with an impact that we cannot begin to fathom. With this in mind, I hope my experience of navigating the IT industry has an impact on you and supports you in your career.”

How my gap year led to a technology career

I graduated from high school in 2015 and enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Canberra with absolutely no idea about what I wanted to be when I grew up!

So, like many 'lost' college graduates, I decided to take a gap year with the goal of traveling to Europe for 3 months. But in order to travel to Europe you kind of need money…

A job came across my radar at an IT Company with a contract to the Defence ICT Service Desk. This was my golden ticket - I could join this entry level technical position and get the money I needed for Europe!

… Lo and behold, after traveling to Europe twice and un-enrolling in my Bachelor of Arts, I am still in the IT Industry!

IT is everywhere, it’s the device you are choosing to read this blog through, it's the Netflix show you are binge-watching, it’s that notification you just received on your mobile, its supporting the astronauts thousands of kilometres above us - there are absolutely no limits to technology.”

IT has given me a world of opportunities and projects to tackle

“The IT industry opened my eyes to all of the amazing opportunities and pathways available that require a unique perspective to influence the next big technological advancement.

Within the 5 years that I have been working in the IT industry, I have worked on some incredibly fulfilling projects, such as the ones below:

E137 Project

Integrating a vendor’s IT Service Management (ITSM) Tool within the Defence ITSM ecosystem. This project allowed the Defence vendors to communicate with each other for ICT requests, incidents, problems and changes. Think of this as giving Defence the ability for online shopping, internally.

Deployed ICT Sustainment Project

This project's aim was to integrate the presently used ICT systems into a single ecosystem. This meant that if we were to go to war tomorrow, we could effectively communicate across all of the systems and forces. 

AV Remediation Project

Uplifted the Defence's National Audio-Visual capabilities.

Government Cloud Projects

Supported Government organisations to migrate their ICT infrastructure onto the Azure Cloud Platform.

Women in ICT (WIC) Communications

Modernising the WIC communications through social media videos, to capture the attention of members and showcase the diverse voices of women in technology within Canberra.

So how do we fix the leaky IT pipeline, and balance the gender mix?

“The IT industry has also exposed me to outright sexism and the unconscious, and sometimes conscious, bias that is present within this male-dominated industry.

I do not write this to scare you, I write this to inform you.

As someone who graduated from an all-girls school - an echo chamber of female empowerment - and entered a male-dominated industry at 18, I wish someone told me that these situations have the potential to occur and that there are systems and processes to support oneself through them.

To combat the discrimination that I experienced, I formed a Women in Business committee with my colleagues to support young women entering the organisation.

This led me to the UN Women Australia (UNWA) Canberra IWD Committee, and in the year of 2019 I was the recipient of the first Canberra Women in ICT Emerging Leaders award, at the age of 22 years-old.” 

Tips for young women considering a career pathway into IT

1.     Meraki

Meaning: “To leave a piece of yourself (your soul, creativity, or love) in your work.”
Humans are not born to go to work and then die.
YOU are unique, YOU have a different perspective, and your perspective is worthy.
Aim to use your uniqueness in every facade of your life.

2.     Surround yourself with your A Team

Find your people, the people who you trust, who will support you and who will raise you up when you need a quick pep talk.

3.     Set your Values 

You are a whole person.
Your boundaries and values in your life should also reflect your workplace.
Decide what you will accept and what you will not accept from an employer.
A good place to view IT industry employer's values is via the Workplace Gender Equality Agency employer of choice list.

 

“While being the minority within a male dominated IT industry has presented many challenges, it has also provided countless opportunities to learn and grow.

Through my experience and the experiences of so many other amazing women in ICT, I hope young girls interested in ICT can see that they DO belong in this industry, because after all, you cannot be what you cannot see.”