Jade Truffitt is the Security Risk Manager at ESO Belfast.
Here, Jade sits down with Sync NI to take part in the Tech Trailblazer challenge, discussing her pathway into a career in tech, what a day in her life looks like, and why ESO Belfast is a great company to foster growth and develop talent.
Have you always had an interest in technology and was there a specific person or a source of inspiration that led you into your current career path?
When I was growing up I actually wanted to be a CSI – however I wasn’t the biggest fan of school – especially not science!
After I had my son at a young age I actually entered the world of technology through a technology support role and worked my way up beforefinding my speciality in security.
At the time I was actually studyingCloud and Software Development, but I had my foot in the door with securityand I realised that this is what I want to do. I find it funny as in a way it relates to what I wanted to do when I was younger- just in a different domain!
In terms of inspiration, my mum and two of my aunties all had extremely successful careers in IT so I have always had that support and guidance and they've always been there for mewithbrilliant career advice.
What would you consider to be the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of your job?
Definitely the people at ESO as we'revery fortunate to have a really goodcommunity at work - our team is really supportive and it is good fun to work here. This is hugely important to me, we spend so much time in work andI feel it is vital that we enjoy it.
Working for ESO and keeping our mission at the top of our minds, we are working for patient security and your work can make a difference between life or death -this makes you look at your job differently and see there is a whole different type of reward to it.
In terms of career development, how important would you say it is to build a professional network and to attend industry events?
I believe attending industry events and networking is vitally important- I honestly don't think that I would be in the position that I am in now if I didn’thave those opportunities.
Internal networks such as Women in Tech brings you that support and people who are going to vouch for you. There is a misconception that industry events are very corporate - but you get to talk with people who are hugely successful in their fieldabout issues like imposter syndrome, or how they maybe alsodidn’t attend university. Talking first-hand about the different pathspeoples’ careers have taken is so interesting and inspiring.
Events like this offer real insight that a career in tech does not need to follow a traditional route anymoreand alsoopen people’s eyes to the fact that a lot more roles exist within the sector that people oftendon’t realise.
Attending the industry events also leads to further opportunities, for example being invited to speak on panels and at conferences, which don’t happen unless people know you are and you start to build up your network.
How much impact can a mentor have on your personal development?
Mentor support is massively impactful – I have been lucky in the past to have had the opportunity to act as both a mentor and also a mentee andfirmly believethat if you're given the opportunity either way you shoulddefinitely avail of it.
Mentors can help build your confidence in new skills such as public speaking and therefore don’t always have to come from the same sector as you.
For example, I have acted as a mentor before to a doctor of law, and whilst I experienced imposter syndrome wondering what I could possibly teach them, we were able to achieve the end goal of increasing their social confidence in attending industry events and be able to network in a self-assured way.
I ended up learning just as much as the mentee did during this experience and strongly believe mentorship benefits everyone involved.
What guidance would you offer to any young person on why they should consider a career in technology?
There is so much more to tech than people understand from the outside looking in. There are so many roles, from marketing, compliance, UX to HR and more.For example, my brother owns his own computer games company.
People might not believe that these sorts of roles exist, and perhaps in the past they didn’t. But we are now starting to build such a thriving technology cluster here in Northern Ireland that these exciting opportunities now exist and we need to take advantage of this.
I would encourage absolutely everyone to attend careers fairs and information evenings on apprenticeships and find out more about what it is like working in the tech sector here in Northern Ireland. When there, speak to the company representatives and ask them what exactly it is that they do and what their skills sets are to see where you best line up. Use it as an opportunity to explore your own skills sets and where they might lead you.
What advice would you give to women considering a career change or who are returning to work who might be daunted at the prospect of working in what can be perceived as a male dominated industry?
I understand that it can feel daunting but this low percentage is only going to increase If more women continue joining the tech industry.
In most of my teams in the past I have been the only female, whilst I have gotten used to it, it is a very apparent issue which is why we started the Women in Tech group here at ESO.
Males are our allies which is particularly evident at ESO, I always feel confident in our male advocates for change that they will stand up to support women and would call out any gender bias when they see it. The majority of my mentors have been male which is positive to see as we definitely need both males and females to continue driving change and achieving gender equality.
For those who may not come from a STEM background, what other career opportunities exist within the tech sector beyond software engineering?
Software engineering is such a small portion of all the opportunities that the tech sector has to offer. I think universities and companies alike need to work together to help demystify what IT roles are and start outlining the different career paths so that there is open information around them, making them truly accessible for all.
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