Alis Klajda, Liquid Web Software Engineer, discusses why he is drawn to technology, why he loves his colleagues, and the importance of following your passions.
One of Alis Klajda’s earliest memories is of her father setting up a work computer (Commodore 64) in the basement of their home in Michigan. “My brother and I both fell in love at first sight,” she says. “At first we were playing video games, but that quickly escalated. Now, many years later, Kleida and his brother are both software engineers.
Kraida got her first job at a tech company right out of college in 2011. “It was in the pre-remote working days of technology consulting groups,” she says. “The consulting firm I worked for sent consultants all over the country to work in clients’ offices, away from family for long periods of time, living in hotel rooms, and wasting an enormous amount of time and money. It’s a little hard to imagine now that remote work has become popular. I wanted a better work-life balance and eventually joined Liquid Web in 2014. ” She has been here ever since.
Currently, at Liquid Web, Klajda is a software engineer in the Engineering Development department. “My team builds and maintains many of the systems that are essential to our daily operations. For example, our billing system, customer portal, shopping cart and phone system, as well as the products we sell A lot of it was built in-house by us.”
What Kleida loves most about working in tech is the people. “I work with a lot of very talented people with intense and interesting hobbies. I am constantly growing as a person and learning new things from my colleagues,” she says.
Klaida says her family has been a big influence on her career journey. “They have always supported my life and career choices unconditionally,” she says. “When I was little, my parents said they didn’t care what I was doing as long as I was happy. This kind of support has enabled me to take risks and make decisions based on my own long-term sense of accomplishment rather than society’s expectations. ”
The people on the other side of the app keep her motivated. “At the end of the day, it’s all about the people. The applications I build are used by thousands of customers and hundreds of colleagues every day, and if I can make their lives easier, that’s really satisfying.” ‘ she says.
Outside of work, Kraida loves to travel. “A few years ago, I set a goal to visit all of America’s national parks and have visited more than a dozen so far,” she says. “I like to travel the old-fashioned road-trip style, seeing all the quirky parts of America along the way.” She also has two herding dogs named Jewel and Chloe. “We spend a lot of time outdoors, hiking and lakes. I’m also a big fan of live music and go to a lot of shows.”
As for the future of women in tech, Kleida says it’s a million-dollar question. “More and more women are seeking some form of higher education after high school, but we haven’t seen that growth in the tech industry,” she says. “Only 20% of computer science graduates are women, and only 25% of tech workers are women. These are interesting, high-paying occupations, so it’s hard to imagine that the jobs themselves are responsible for that gap. I believe that greater cultural change is needed to achieve full gender equality in tech. ”
Her advice to women who want to pursue a career in tech is simple.: “If you’re interested in technology, or whatever, Don’t let social expectations fool you. ” she says “There is a lot of pressure from family and society when it comes to career choices. They are guided to the role of “nurturing” such as education. These are great career options, but at the end of the day, you’re the one who has to live your life and work on it every day. Let your passion guide your life. I believe that is the key to happiness. ”
