As we gear up for the International Women’s Day, we will be looking at the women who have made their mark in the tech space which has for the longest time been male dominated. These women have not only made a space for themselves but are also making a way for those behind them. We will kick off the series with Tima Ali an Engineer at Core Network Planning and Design at Safaricom.
Tima Ali’s journey in tech started out a bit differently from the norm in that she didn’t grow up wanting to be an engineer but rather was inspired by a girl whom she admired back in primary school. You see back when she was in primary school there was a girl by the name of Hadija Majid who was a few years ahead of her. At that time, Hadija who was very bright used to be recognized as the best pupil every other time. Due to this, Tima really looked up to her and wanted to emulate her good performance.
It was this admiration that made Tima follow up on Hadija even after she left the school to see what she was up to. It was while Tima was in high school that she came to learn Hadija had started pursuing Telecommunication and Information Engineering at University. This prompted her to start researching on what engineering was all about, initially she had thought of pursuing electrical engineering but opted for Telecommunication and Information Engineering because she already knew someone pursuing the same. This made her work hard in high school and as a result of this she was able join Jomo Kenyatta University of Technology back in 2014 to pursue the course of her dreams.
In as much as the tech industry is not where it is supposed to be in matters diversity and inclusion. Tima Ali believes that there is a lot of work being done by various companies to ensure that more women are able to join the tech space. A good example of this is the Safaricom Women in Tech program which is geared towards moving girls from the classroom to the boardroom.
On an individual level, Tima Ali believes that there is a need for the women who are already in tech to share their journey and achievements. This can serve to encourage more girls to join the industry, she gives her own example whereby she decided to pursue a career in tech just because she knew someone who pursued the same. This is because one can’t always be able to reach everyone on an individual level, as such there is need to use platforms such as Linkedin and social media to spread the message because you never know whose life you would be able to touch.
Tima’s career highlight so far came in the year 2022 when she applied for the AWS re:Invent grant and won. This unlocked an opportunity to attend the largest tech conference in the world, the AWS re:Invent in Las Vegas. Subsequently, she was selected to share her inspiring story and take part in a panel discussion to demystify AWS CloudUp for Her program, an initiative that drives skills advancement with AWS and seeks to empower women to pursue careers in technology. She also got a chance to learn as well as take part in conversations around how to provide a secure Artificial Intelligence (AI). Courtesy of the hard work that she put in getting the grant, any time she encounters a challenge she usually reminds herself of the fact that she has ever applied herself and it worked. This acts as a motivation for her to apply herself again to overcome the challenge and keep moving.
When it comes to career progression, Tima Ali believes that having a mentor is important. This is because she has had one all through her career and this has helped to move to greater heights. When she started out in Safaricom as an intern in the Fixed Network team back in 2018, she had an incredible mentor by the name Elaine Kyalo. Elaine held her hand all through her time as an intern and encouraged her as well as gave her more responsibilities. It was these responsibilities that helped her build confidence and a solid foundation. Lilian Kiambati is another mentor who has always been at hand to give incredible insights into her career and different aspects of her life. Other women whom have had an impact on her career include Donna Rege and Diana Ogetto who help her to conceptualize what she wants to achieve. These women have been instrumental in shaping her career as well as her initiatives around giving back to the society.
Tima’s advice to women who would like to pursue a career in tech is that if you have thought about it just do it. All one needs to do is filter out the noise, believe in one’s self and go out there and achieve your goals. This is because it is not a journey that you will walk alone but you will find other women who will help you along the way. She stated that as women who are already in tech, there are ready to help those who are willing to take the leap.