Girls in Tech. Janna Barseghyan
We pictured exclusively a man when saying “IT specialist in Armenia” a few years ago, but the success of Armenian technological products on international markets and numerous projects promoting startups development made the industry more attractive for women as well in recent times.
Whether it’s writing code, developing products or making other contribution to the team, the opportunities are numerous.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Itel.am launches a new series to present Armenian women engaged in IT industry.
Janna Barseghyan is the co-founder of Armenian Yecup startup. Yecup is a thermo mug managed with a smartphone.
From political science to technologies in one step
I am a political scientist by profession. I took part in the internship at UN Office in Armenia for 6 months in 2014, and I managed to research Armenian startup ecosystem in that time. The interest towards the industry led me to establishing ties with people from it, and I found myself in this sphere as a result.
My husband Vigen is also a political scientist by profession, but he’s very fond of programming, particularly hardware. We founded Yecup together.
Girls in IT are more poised and patient
Armenia might be the only country with so few girls in IT. In other countries, even our neighbour Georgia, women are more engaged in technologies. I personally don’t give any advantage to boys in this industry, as taking into account my experience, I can say that girls in IT are more poised and patient, which only brings positive results.
You don’t have to write code
I believe that the number of female programmers will gradually increase in Armenia. I myself have many such acquaintances, there are many young girls interested in this industry. I can also say from my experience that you don’t have to know how to write code in order to work with IT. I can’t write code, although I’ve been thinking lately that it’s worth to learn despite difficulties.
It’s not important for me to have the “latest” iPhone
In my case, it’s not obligatory to follow technological fashion. It’s not essential whether I have the latest iPhone or iPad. At the same time, I think that we should constantly follow technological news and keep up with the times. Unlike me, my husband Vigen is an avid Apple fan and always tries to get the latest Apple products.
On negative aspects
Boys, for example, can sit for days to experiment and find the right solution in the end. Women are more pedantic and sometimes even impatient to see the results immediately. For example, I always notice negative details in everything; even when the team is enthusiastically showing something, I immediately try to understand what might be wrong. That sometimes gets on boys’ nerves (laughs - editor’s note).
Women in this sphere are distinguished by the enormous amount of time they spend at the computer. For example, I spend almost half a day on that work, I’m always connected with marketing specialists and other members of the team. There’s very little time left for other things.
Women gave many innovations to the world
Women gave many innovations to the world, thus changing the order of things.
I myself often follow ideas presented on Indiegogo and Kickstarter crowdfunding platforms. There are very interesting projects created by women’s teams. By the way, such projects are usually more successful and solve various issues of women’s everyday comfort.
Many innovations aim to change the way of women’s lives, from inventions for dishwashers and washing machines to online learning opportunities, which promote education and development of women all over the world.
I’m calling for all girls who want to enter this industry to be confident and bold. Set goals for yourselves without fear and be motivated to achieve them.
Narine Daneghyan
Photos by Emin Aristakesyan