We are so happy to present you one more imagiMentor: Ágota! 💕
Our imagiMentors live in different places all around the 🌎 and come from different backgrounds, but all of them support imagiLabs mission: to foster the diversity in the tech industry! ✨👩💻
Can you share a little bit about yourself?
I’m Ágota Zsolczer, a married 25-year-old joyful mathematician woman. I live in Budapest and I would like to live here later on, too. I’ve been working at a self-driving software development company as a research engineer for one and a half years. My work includes handling a lot of data and I code in Python, which is my favourite programming language.
A fun fact about you
I really like crocheting. They say it’s similar to programming, because you follow instructions, just like how a for loop works. 🧶
What does your typical day look like?
At work, I have some quiet time in the morning, because I come to the office a bit earlier than most of my colleagues. Usually I use this time to review what I’ve done so far and what’s left to do with a clear and fresh mind. After everybody arrives, we gather for a 15-minute standup to discuss the current tasks and problems, and to make up a plan for the day together, keeping in mind our weekly plan. Before or after the standup we drink a coffee together, and we chat in the kitchen. During the main part of the day, I’m coding. From time to time, the HR department organizes in-house programming trainings for us, which are really motivating and useful for me. Now that I have to work from home for obvious reasons, my days look quite similar to this, except for the coffee breaks, and that I have lunch alone. Besides work, we have the opportunity to do some sports near the office, for example I attend a spine training course two times a week and we go for a run together after work every week.
What got you initially interested in tech?
It just happened. I really liked mathematics competitions in high school, then I started to study mathematics at university (BUTE), where I met programming, and I took to it immediately.
What do you enjoy most about your job? What motivates you to come to work?
I enjoy creating something every day. Other than that, I can learn new things from my colleagues and from the internet which helps me improve my skills, and develop myself. I love to work as a member of a group of motivated people. Also, the development and the technology of a self-driving car is really exciting and it is a trending topic nowadays.
Did anything surprise you about your job in the first 30 days?
I don’t remember, seriously. 😄 I can only remember the feeling that everyone around me was really helpful, open-minded and kind, so the atmosphere made me feel immediately that I belong here.
What's the one area you’d like to grow in that you currently find challenging?
I have to code in another programming language sometimes, C++, which is a lot different from Python. C++ is very challenging for me, and I’d like to improve in it.
What advice would you give to teenage girls thinking about pursuing a career in tech?
Don’t be afraid of anything, there are things that seem to be scary or hard at first sight, but you will keep getting better and better. Tech is a very exciting and interesting field, and there are thousands of women who are talented at it, not only men.
Can you share your tips on how to successfully reach your goals?
Take action every day! Never lose sight of your goals and dreams. Moreover, don’t be afraid of asking for help and discuss your thoughts with others, either with tech people or non-tech people. Talking always makes life easier, because it helps to see situations from another point of view.
