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SheCanCode's Spilling The T
SheCanCode's Spilling The T
Crossing Horizons: Navigating Tech Through Borders
In this episode join us as we delve into the dynamic world of tech with Ivana Kusic, a dedicated data engineer shaping the future of the insurance industry. From her roots in Croatia to her current role at Chubb, Ivana shares her inspiring journey of crossing borders, both geographical and professional.
We explore Ivana's bold decision to leave her homeland and pursue her passion for data engineering in the bustling metropolis of New York City. With a master's degree from NYU specializing in Management and Systems, Ivana provides valuable insights into the challenges and triumphs of navigating tech across borders.
Tune in as we discuss the nuances of emigrating, the hurdles faced in a new country, and the resilience required to overcome barriers in the ever-evolving tech landscape. Ivana's story serves as a beacon of inspiration for aspiring data engineers and professionals seeking to thrive in an interconnected world.
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Hello everyone, thank you for tuning in Again. I am Polly Bateman, the Content Director at SheCanCode, and today we are discussing crossing horizons navigating tech through borders. I've got the incredible Ivana Kucic, a dedicated data engineer, with me today and she's going to share her inspiring journey of crossing borders, both geographically and professionally. We're going to touch upon the nuances of emigrating, the hurdles faced in a new country and the resilience required to overcome barriers in the ever-evolving tech landscape. Welcome, ivana. Thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 2:Hi everyone. Thank you, kayleigh. Thank you so much for inviting me. I'm very happy to be here with you guys today and share my story.
Speaker 1:Wonderful. You have a brilliant story, so we're very lucky to have you here today to share that with us. Can we start with a little bit of background, to set the scene for our ladies today? A little bit about you, who you are and how you came to work in tech.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sure, so my name is Ivana, as we already mentioned, so I am originally from Croatia. I did I would say that my journey started from Croatia. I got my first master's in finance, which was kind of like very different than what I'm doing right now. So during that time when I was pursuing my degree in finance, I got that incredible opportunity to participate in a couple of student exchange programs during the summertime, where I get to travel to the United States. And, with that being said, I was also both summers in New York City, and this is how the entire idea of me permanently moving into the United States came across.
Speaker 2:I will share more details as we go further into our conversation, but that's on a high level. So this is how I landed in New York City. I also always wanted to get that international education and broaden my horizons academically as well as professionally, and broadened my horizons academically as well as professionally and, with that being said, this is how I ended up doing my master's in management and systems, with concentration in database technologies, at New York University, and this was, I would say, the moment when my journey in IT started. This is how I shifted from the financial or business background that I had from before into IT and, upon completing my degree, I landed a job in corporate organization in insurance industry itself within the IT department, where I got to work on very exciting projects as a data engineer and, yeah, it has been a great journey for a couple of years as of now.
Speaker 1:Incredible. We love it when we hear ladies that have a completely not even a completely different background, but have a background where they can easily transition into tech and then bring all the wonderful skills that they learned previously and then bring them in and get an even better job in the tech sector. So we love that. And your story is a very bold story as well. It's a very inspiring story because you moved from Croatia to New York City. You said you'd been there a few times and you know you'd been back and forth New York City. You said you'd been there a few times and, um, you know you you'd been back and forth. But what motivated you to make such a significant move when, when you decided to do that and and move permanently?
Speaker 2:right, uh, that's a great question, thank you. So, um, as I mentioned, um, I got that incredible like when I was pursuing my degree in finance I was still a student in Croatia at that time I stumbled upon that great opportunity to participate in the student exchange program, where you get to travel in the United States during the summer and then I kind of like immerse myself into a different culture very vibrant, crazy New York City Also. I was able to improve my English as well and then, kind of like, at the end of the program you always get that opportunity to travel across the United States as well, which was incredible experience. So I've done that for two years. And then I completed my master's in finance back home. I got some work experience there as well. My master's in finance back home. I got some work experience there as well.
Speaker 2:But then I kind of like that sparked my desire to permanently move and see if I can extend and leverage on the international educational institutions as well and get the master's from some prestigious universities in the United States as well. Idea was New York City or nowhere. That's kind of for me because, yeah, new York City or Europe, like nothing else. But then I stumbled upon a couple of prestigious universities here in the United States and this is how our entire journey started, actually here in the United States, and this is how our entire journey started actually. This is where I decided that I will be moving in New York City permanently to kind of like broaden my horizons, academically and professionally as well, on the global scale. And this is like my first idea was getting an MBA, which was kind of like the first thought. Then I found out that I need to prepare for TOEFL, which was kind of like SMUD, and also GMAT. Gmat was something that took me a while to prepare for, but while I was preparing for the GMAT, I was also doing my research on the program that is offered by NYU Stern Business School. I at that point wanted to immerse more into data analytics, like big data analytics, programming languages those were the buzzwords back then. So I was thinking that's something that I really see myself.
Speaker 2:While preparing for the GMAT, I was also doing research and I kind of realized that MBA might not be the right thing to do. And I also came across the NYU School of Professional Studies, which was offering that management and systems with concentration in database technologies, master's degree within the STEM with concentration in database technologies, master's degree within the STEM, and this is actually. I looked into their program. I was like, whoa, that's exactly what I would like to learn and where I see myself in my career going forward. And, yep, I set up the call with the student representatives. Then I started to work on my application. That was also like it took me a while to prepare application because it needed to be very strong application because NYU is one of the top notch universities in the United States, just in general. So, yeah, I did complete my application, I applied and I was accepted and definitely I would say from that moment my journey into world of technology began and shaping trajectory of my career and opening doors to endless opportunities. That's what I would like to highlight.
Speaker 1:Yep, that's pretty much it amazing, incredible journey, and it's so interesting to saw that you said um, it was new, it was New York City or nothing. What was it about New York City that really drew you to it? As you said previously, is crazy, it is mad. Did you not get there and think, oh gosh, no?
Speaker 2:right, yeah, yeah, I got that question a lot. So I would definitely say, um, there is energy, uh, like the city is very vibrant, um very diverse, um a lot of like a culturally very different, um a lot of different backgrounds. Um, you get to know a lot of different individuals and I would definitely say diversity and different backgrounds and experiences are actually what is enhancing experience here and just at work as well, working with different people from different backgrounds it's something that it's a great starting point for innovations and collaboration. So it's the crazinessiness, vibrance of the energy of the city. It's everything that drives you um and uh yep, makes you move every day and uh go that extra mile, um and you know, in like pursuing your uh dreams and uh goals yes, as I say about new york city, you definitely embrace that one.
Speaker 1:Um studying um in uh in new york. How did you experience studying at nyu um? How did that shape your career, particularly your specialization in management and systems?
Speaker 2:Right, Yep. So when it comes to NYU, that's the experience that I would cherish forever. Definitely, I would say my experience studying at NYU has profound impact on shaping my career path into the IT Definitely, especially within management and systems, as I mentioned, big data technologies, data analytics and system management. I mentioned big data technologies, data analytics and system management. Also one thing that I would like to highlight when it comes to NYU SPS, which is School of Professional Studies, it's tailored for the professionals that are already working. So we had those evening classes so I get to work on the projects with people that are already coming from different industries. Those were industry professionals and working with them definitely, as I mentioned, was bringing different perspectives and experiences on the table and definitely enriched my experience of getting that solid foundation and skill set that I needed to be successful in IT role especially.
Speaker 2:I was aiming data engineering Throughout the coursework. Also, one very important thing that I would like to highlight is we always worked on hands-on projects. Whatever we worked on was pretty much right away applicable to the real world environment. So the code that I was writing, I was able to unlock it on the GitHub. I built my portfolio off of it, which was great for me, helped me while I was interviewing because I had something to show, Even though I took it for granted.
Speaker 2:I was like, oh, nobody would bother about, like school code. But then it happened to be very complex and interviewers were impressed with the things that we were working on as a group of like usually a couple of members doing different courses. So that's one thing that I would like to highlight. Also, another thing all professors were also industry professionals, so they had 10, 15 or more years of experience. So not only that they were just teaching us, they were bringing the latest and the greatest trends from the market and sharing the insights with us, which is something also that enriched my experience at NYU. So I would definitely say, overall, my experience at NYU equipped me with the skills, knowledge and confidence to excel in my chosen field, which was data engineering within the IT.
Speaker 1:Incredible. So it's great yeah, it's great to hear that you not only worked on real world projects, but your professors were professionals in their own right as well in the industry, because so many ladies say on this podcast, you, you know, they've been through university and there's still that that jump from what they studied and when they get into work and it's still that kind of baptism of fire, learning actually what it's like to work in the real world. But if you experience that throughout your course, then that that must have been, you know, that kind of um set you up ready for the workplace.
Speaker 2:That was my. I was scared of that as well. I was like how do I do that? I'm like I land my job at job which was like a huge corporate organization within the IT. My role was an engineer, which is kind of scary because it involves a lot of skill sets and a lot of knowledge that you need to have ahead all the time. So I was like am I going to be able to perform in my role? But, with that being said, an experience that I got through that practical work at university, I was literally able to do my work within the first month since I joined the organization. So it was very practically orientated and very useful for you to start doing the real job right away once when you join the real world outside of the university.
Speaker 1:Yes, definitely, and so all of those things really helped you along the way, picking the right course with the right people that are going to be there to help you. I wanted to ask you a little bit about the challenges along the way as well, though. So what are some of the unique challenges you faced as an immigrant working in the tech sector and in the United States?
Speaker 2:Right. So, when it comes to the challenges, I would definitely say that in dynamic landscape of a United States tech sector, diversity drives. So I would definitely say, being international or being an immigrant here, look at it as an asset rather than an obstacle, and this was really something which I already highlighted before. People coming from different backgrounds would definitely bring different experiences, different cultural things on a table and it would be a great environment for innovation and collaboration. So something I would definitely say embrace it. Those are unique skills that you as an individual possess and truly try to leverage on them.
Speaker 2:One thing that I would highlight, but I would not go into details much of like a hurdle, like overcoming visa related hurdles, are something that usually international people or immigrants in United States are kind of like struggling with, and this is one of the things that I would like to highlight. But there are different ways of facing and, like you can always uh, you have that support from your organization, but this is something that you always think have to think of while you're in the united states. So that's one of the hurdles that I'm not going to go into details right now, but that's something that I would highlight as being a challenge for someone who is international in the united states yes, I suppose it differs as well where you live and where you work and who you work with.
Speaker 1:You said when you first studied you also got to travel a lot across America. That's quite an eye-opener as well, isn't it? Travelling across even one country, but there's so many different walks of life in the States. I mean that must have been a real bonus part of you, you know, in your studying.
Speaker 2:That was a great experience, correct? Yep, that was kind of like when I first joined, like when I first came here for two summers. I get to travel across the America, so like I get to do the road trip on the West Coast, like get to see all those countries I was also interested in, like Texas and those like countries that are more like South. So great experiences. I was that annoying person saying oh, I've seen that in movies, so definitely met a lot of people along the way. I've had a great experience and that's also one of the things that sparked my desire. I would like to come back and continue my journey here in the United States and see where it goes. Yes, yes, definitely.
Speaker 1:It sounds as well like you made a very informed decision before you permanently moved to the US. It sounded like you'd experienced a lot and it wasn't like a quick I'm going to move to the US decision. It sounds like you'd done a lot before you got there. I wanted to ask you about obstacles and barriers. Could you share a specific obstacle or barrier that you encountered during your career journey and how did you overcome it?
Speaker 2:Okay, so let me think about it, yep, so, so what I would say, like my career journey in IT, like just career in IT, it's very rewarding, I would say, and it's like it's great if you are into like constant learning and if you're an introductory, to enhance your skills. As we know that technology landscape is a very evolving field. So no major obstacles that I would highlight. Highlight, but uh, definitely I would say, being a woman, uh in a very male, uh dominated uh field of it, uh, overcoming those type of challenges, I would definitely say how are how I overcome them? Um, like you need to always advocate for yourself. That's very important.
Speaker 2:Um, also seeking mentorship, uh from supportive colleagues at work or like within the at the university. That's very, very important and crucial for you to be successful in career, because they're they're like, especially at the beginning of your IT career, having a mentor in like from the leadership position, someone who has a couple of years of experience. It's a great thing for you in terms of like guiding you and in terms of having someone that you can talk to and say hey, I don't see myself, because when we say IT it's a broad term. So sometimes if you join organizations data engineer. Maybe you don't see yourself doing that job for years, so maybe you want to shift into data science or similar. So having someone who is your mentor and who you can talk to as your managers or that can actually guide you and point you to the right direction, is very, very important. This is what I would say. And also just outside of the work and outside of the university expanding your network and participating in network events such as, like there are so many meetups here in New York City that you can participate in, where women from same backgrounds, or like women from different backgrounds but like willing to succeed in an IT or meeting. That's very also important to expand your network and network with people that are in similar fields, something that I would definitely recommend.
Speaker 2:Joining different associations, working maybe on some projects along the way with your work or like coursework at the university. It's also very good to overcome those obstacles and, yep, it's rewarding, very rewarding once when you see that you can contribute, even though it's a very male-dominated field. Yep. So some of the advices that I would definitely say. One thing I forgot to mention here is, with that being said, I'm also part of the. I'm Involved in the Job Woman in Tech. This is the initiative that is dedicated to foster female leadership and, as well, nurturing tech talent. So this is one of the things like one of the examples how you can overcome some of the barriers when it comes to that like male dominated field when it comes to IT.
Speaker 1:Amazing and that's brilliant advice as well Finding a network, and a network that you can use to progress in your career, but also joining so you can give back and find ways to support other ladies that are coming through as well. Tech industry have not quite realized that there are lots of communities that you can join and there are lots of other ladies out there that are feeling similar feelings that you have experienced in the workplace and sometimes, if you're in a company where there there isn't somebody that you can reach out to or another lady that you could reach out to, as a mentor, for instance, there are lots of external networks and organizations that can help you with that and it almost takes ladies a few years to realize and think. Actually, I wish I'd known that from the start.
Speaker 2:Yep, yep, yep, so that's something that I would always encourage. I know it sounds like cliche. We all know we need to network, but it's really. It's very, very, very important. I wanted to highlight that, even like outside of work and university network because there are so many different women out there, because we are now in shake and code podcast, so we're like focusing on female in IT domain. So I would definitely say network and there are so many women out there doing the same thing and some of them are struggling and not sure how to overcome those obstacles. So being part of community and contribute and being part of different associations definitely helps definitely yes, I couldn't agree more.
Speaker 1:And for those that want to, um are considering a career in the tech industry, do you have any advice for them? For anybody that wants to enter the tech industry but they might be hesitant to for them, for anybody that wants to enter the tech industry but they might be hesitant to pursue it due to barriers like language or cultural differences?
Speaker 2:Mm right, so that's a very good question. So I would say my advice to individuals, particularly to women because we're now in chic and cold podcast considering career in tech I would definitely say like, especially data analytics or data engineering, kind of like, the main that I'm in, despite facing barriers like language or cultural differences, is to embrace their unique perspectives and strength. That's very important. I would definitely say that having that culture or language barriers definitely do not consider it as being to discourage you to pursue your passions. If it's hard I always say that to myself If it's hard and if it's challenging, that means that you're in the right path Because, furthermore, down the road, you will pick up your fruits and they'll be even more sweeter. Because, furthermore, down the road, you will pick up your fruits and they'll be even more sweeter, definitely. So I encourage them to again leverage on resources and support networks within their tech community. Also to look for some sort of the mentorship programs or groups that can help them guide to get on a right path as well. It's very important once when you also join the organization, it's like mentorship thing is not done. Try to find someone who is in the leadership position, someone like where you see your career going in that trajectory. Talk to that person and maybe seek mentorship from that person as well. It can definitely help you and give you some insights on how to achieve certain things in your career.
Speaker 2:Additionally, what is very important advice that I would like to give when you're choosing tech as an industry like tech as your industry that you want to thrive in and any role that you pick up within the IT it's very important to know that you always need to continue learning. It important to know that you always need to continue learning. It's continuous learning and you always need to upskill yourself because it's ever-enrolling landscape of technology. There are always new technologies out there every day. So even for me, I'm like which way do I go? What do I start leveraging on?
Speaker 2:First, because every day there is a new tool out there, so you need to keep learning and tailor the roadmap based on your particular role within the IT. Some of the fundamental skills are programming, languages that you need to know for data engineering, different clouds and stuff like that. So those are some fundamentals, but then different tools are coming up every day and then, like, continuous learning is very important within the IT and definitely what I already mentioned is being from a different background. Diversity is an asset rather than an obstacle, so your diverse background and experiences can definitely bring fresh insights and innovation to the field of IT. So embrace it um and just um.
Speaker 1:Go with the flow yes, I love that you pointed out.
Speaker 1:Yes, it is an asset, not an obstacle.
Speaker 1:Um, being from you know a different background and a diverse cultural background and the differences that you bring is why a company you know wanted to hire you and all the all of the different viewpoints that you bring to a team. Definitely, that is always something to always remember and lean into when you know you're having those moments of imposter syndrome, as a lot of us have that you were hired for a reason because you are different, and I love the factors that you pointed out about continuous learning and that is something that that takes a certain type of person who wants to come into the tech industry and continually learn every day and then and also figure out where you would like to go, as you said, where you want to go as well, um, in the future and where your career might take you. If you're not, uh, trying to stay ahead of the curve and figuring out the new technologies that are released, how will you know where you want to progress as well and which company that you might end up in the future and who knows?
Speaker 2:yeah, that's very, very correct um.
Speaker 1:Looking back on your journey so far, what are the most proud? What? Let me rephrase that no go ahead no issues. Tongue tied, got that part out. Um, looking back on your journey so far, what are you most proud of accomplishing and what goals do you have for the future?
Speaker 2:right, um. So let me think about it a little bit. So, um, I am just going to summarize that very like on a high level. I'm going to be very short on that one. Um, definitely I would say like on a high level.
Speaker 2:Um, my most proud accomplishment so far is like successful transitioning from the top tier education in finance to becoming a data engineer, which is something completely different, and I was scared to that, I would say. When I was doing that, I was like am I going? Like before me, just evolving into IT, I was kind of like scared of the black screen. So I'm like how I'm going to be able to code, how am I going to be able to do all those things? But then just like throwing myself into the fire and bridging that gap between business and technology, like starting my journey with NYU was something that I'm very proud of, and now I'm like successfully coding and executing my code with no issues whatsoever. But there was kind of like the scary, like the first step is always the scariest. So I would definitely say one advice that I would give to everyone if you believe you can, you're already halfway there. So kind of like I was driven by that thought throughout my journey and like throughout me shifting from, like, a business or finance background into IT. So definitely that's one thing, bridging that gap between business and technology with unique skillset that I gained throughout my experiences at NYU and with being the part of the CHOP community for three years. That's something that I cherish as well. I would also say, as I joined, like corporate world and IT claims department three years ago, I was also nominated for a global IT employer recognition last year, which like kind of like underscores my contributions within the IT claims department, so that was something that I was very proud of last year.
Speaker 2:And definitely to the second point, to your question what are some of the goals for the future? I would definitely say, as I mentioned, enhance on my skills as a data engineer, because there is so much down the road for me that I need to immerse myself into and learn, as well as practically implement that in my work, everyday work. That's one of the goals for me. And then, being able something that is the greatest and the latest right now, it's like real data time processing. So that's something that I'm looking into. We also, as a team, we're working on a project where we are bringing data from on-prem to a cloud, and we're trying to do that in real time as well. So those are some of the goals. We want to make that project a great success for the organization. So, on the high level, I would say those are some of the things that I'm looking forward into it further down the line.
Speaker 1:Amazing, because I was going to drop in there as well. You know, if you were speaking to your younger self, what advice would you give your younger self? But I mean, you dropped in there. You know, when you are really worried about something, it's just going for it and thinking that. You know if you want to do it you're already halfway there anyway, so just do it.
Speaker 1:But what you did was very bold, very bold, um, and and daring, and uh, to, to, to make a move. And especially you made it. You, you made a move to a country where, um, they, they are quite uh, the, the us is very encouraging and very sort of like, you know, you go for it and you, you, you live your dream and, um, if you can dream it, you can do it, kind of attitude, so that that must have been a quite a quite a nice environment to be around as well, when you got there and thought, you know, I have made the right decision and I'm going to move forward and pursue my dreams.
Speaker 2:That's 100% correct. As I mentioned before, I would definitely say it's not only the environment as well people that you surround yourself with. They are motivators for you to be even better and to go that extra mile next day as well. So that's also something that I assemble upon various different individuals. I expand my network greatly within the IT here at the university, as well as outside of the university, at work as well. So those are all great individuals you can learn a lot from, and those are the people that are motivating you to be your better self and push forward every day even more. So, yeah, that's one great thing, one of the greatest things when it comes to New York City. It's a hub of individuals that are really unique and with the great skill sets and knowledge that you can learn from a lot.
Speaker 1:Yes, definitely, ivana. We are already out of time. I could keep talking to you about your journey, um, for another three hours on this subject. We must have you back at some point to hear, um, how you have continued in your path, um, and are still living out your dreams, so, um. Thank you so much today, though, for joining us and sharing your story.
Speaker 2:It's been an absolute pleasure thank you so much for having me. It was a great uh 30 minutes talk uh to you. You I enjoyed it and, yeah, definitely I'm looking forward to be back at some point of time to see how I progress in my career.
Speaker 1:That would be wonderful. Our ladies would love that and for everybody listening as always. Thank you so much for joining us and we hope to see you again next time.
