Gergana Dobrikova is a Senior JavaScript Developer at team News UK at Questers. Today she is under the spotlight in our Women in Tech series where we introduce inspiring female professionals. We talked with Geri about her career, what excites and challenges her as well as how she thinks more ladies could be attracted to the tech sector. Read on to find out what she shared:
You are currently a Senior JavaScript Engineer at News UK team at Questers. Tell us how did you get here? What was your previous educational and professional experience?
I started my professional experience while I was studying at the University of Plovdiv. In the beginning, doing both took me a while to get the hang of it. Eventually, I found my place in the world of software development, and it has been a wonderful experience ever since.
Initially, I started as a .NET developer. But very soon I found out that I am more willing to work with the Front-End part of the projects. And then I came to the realisation it is not the technology that matters, but how you approach it. Currently, I try to be prepared for any possible task or challenge that I am presented with.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
I can surely say that currently, the biggest challenge is not being able to see the people I work with in person. We had to adapt to be way more organized and try to communicate even more. The right amount of communication is always hard to balance, as well as the appropriate amount of daily and weekly meetings.
What excites you about your work?
The thing I like the most about my work is seeing my results. Doing everything on time and seeing people happy with my work is what drives me to continue giving my best. Of course, the process is also very important, so I try to make sure I and everybody I work with have a positive experience. I also love working with different people from all over the world. And I am grateful that my job gives me that opportunity. You can always learn something new from the people you work with.
What do you consider your biggest achievement?
I think just the fact that I have dealt with some difficult moments in my career and managing to go through them is enough of an achievement for me personally. I am not sure that I can measure my own success. What feels like an accomplishment for me is the fact that I continue to learn something new every day and learn from my past mistakes.
Tell us more about News UK and what it’s like to work there.
So far, working for News UK and being in The Sun web team has been an amazing experience. All of my colleagues, both from Bulgaria and from the UK, are really helpful. And it is because of the times we live in that I often don't feel the geographical difference between my colleagues - we all work from home, and we all share knowledge. Surely, I would like to also meet my colleagues in person, but everything has its time.
How do you think more women could be attracted to the tech sector?
I am a firm believer in leading by example. I think the best way to inspire young women to be attracted to the sector is being the best possible example and share your experience. We have to show young girls that they can be successful and happy in this particular sector. I think I can safely say that we in Bulgaria have one of the highest ratios of women in tech in Europe, but that doesn't mean we still can't inspire girls to try different things and careers that are not typically associated with a woman's job.
Wanna join Geri’s team? We are looking for more passionate professionals for the News UK team at Questers and will be happy to talk to you.