Meet Gazelle — software engineer

Be stubborn about succeeding

After eight years in a nursing career and becoming a mother of a daughter and stepson, Gazelle retrained and is following her passion for IT as a software engineer at Jade Software in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

From hobby to career

Originally from the Philippines, followed by a stint nursing in Singapore, Gazelle’s interest in computer programming started off as a hobby when she first moved to Christchurch in May 2016. As her interest grew, Gazelle completed Information Technology Essentials (Level 4) and enjoyed it so much she wondered how she could make it a job. After a bit more research, she enrolled to do a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems and Communication at Ara Institute of Canterbury and never looked back.

Retraining set the foundation

I knew that retraining would give me the foundation that I needed and an advantage to secure a job I loved. Especially in IT, it’s always changing, and you need to keep up with the current trends.

Gazelle loves her job at Jade Software and is really good at it. Something she puts down to her determination and growth mindset. In IT programming, there's a lot of new technology, and she executes challenging tasks every day.

A supportive work environment for women

I used to compete in chess, and programming is similar. You're always solving problems — you need to put the pieces in the right places to complete the task.  If there's a problem, you'll investigate why something's not working, and I get a real buzz when I solve a problem.

Although the tech industry is male dominated, there is a good balance at Jade and Gazelle says it’s a really supportive work environment for women. She is involved with formulating software solutions, colleagues ask her for her input, and she feels empowered.  She also sees a lot of women emerging as leaders; in fact, the CEO is female.

The number of women in tech has increased, compared to 10 years ago, and this has a lot to do with more awareness. Back when I was nursing in 2008, I had no clue what kind of career opportunities there were for women in tech, things are very different now.

Transferable skills

Gazelle’s transition from nursing to IT was enabled by her transferable skills. Communication, collaboration and being a team player were all skills she learnt while nursing, not to mention the initiative and self-management skills she uses every day as a mum.

Gazelle's message for women

Gazelle says retraining is challenging, and it will be hard at the start because balancing life and study, especially as a mum, can be overwhelming. Having the support of her family, especially her partner, was essential in successfully completing her retraining. But, she says, as you learn more, you become better and more confident every day.

Don't make excuses. When I started, I thought that I might be too old to start all over again and move to a new career that I didn’t have a clue about. You will encounter a lot of challenges that will make you want to give up, but be stubborn about succeeding. It will all be worth it.