Talking to women in tech (II)
We continue the series of discussions with women in the IT industry with Rafaela Voiculescu.
Rafaela is an Engineering Manager at Fitbit (now part of Google), with more than eight years of technology experience. One of her passions was developing software for Android devices. Throughout her career, Rafaela has worked in large-scale projects and wants to be a mentor to those at the beginning of her journey.
Rafaela puts a lot of passion into what she does, and the moment she starts talking about technology or a career in IT, her authenticity and transparency win. She is actively involved in several community projects and helps young people, students and students alike, discover the secrets of technology.
How many problems did developing for Android devices put you at the beginning and how did you manage to specialize? What was your path?
I started developing applications for Android phones during my master's years, when I was 23 years old. The first thing I remember is related to the transition from a “found a solution” type thinking to one of “found a solution that is intuitive to the user” type. When we develop mobile applications we are very interested in the user interface component.
During my student years, however, I had quite a few subjects that focused on this aspect, the focus was more on identifying solutions to problems that did not contain this aspect of graphic elements.
I think to specialize, just like in any other field, and here it's about keeping alive the desire to learn new things and practice.
I decided to learn more about this area of software when, in college, I chose an optional subject about mobile development. I found it interesting to be able to create something that I can then see on my phone, something that I can interact with so easily. Later, when I started working for the start-up VectorWatch, I had to speed up the learning process, being the first time I worked with a mobile app that had to communicate with a watch. Other projects within Fitbit followed, and at some point, I chose to make the transition to engineering management.
What is your role now at Google and what can you share with girls who want to work in IT? Is it a recipe in the career that he has to follow?
I am now an engineering manager at Google. I work with a team of 25+ people from different fields (backend, mobile, firmware, etc.).
If I could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to work in IT (but not only) it would be: “Clearly define what you want to do and even clearer why. There is no path without obstacles and it would be good to know why you chose yours if you want to be successful.”
I don't believe in recipes. I think, instead, it's important what you want and how much you're willing to invest in yourself to be able to get what you want. It's not easy. It's a lot of work, time spent developing in the desired direction, moments when you no longer feel as motivated as you did at the beginning, or when you don't know what the next step is. All this is normal. The difference is made by the ability of each of us to take a step back and remind ourselves what our purpose is and why. If it's a good enough reason behind us, one that resonates with who we are, then we won't veer off the road for long.
Can you tell us something the world doesn't know about you? How was the first computer?
I had a huge computer that took up half my desk. I first had internet access at home at the end of 8th grade and I was absolutely thrilled to be able to talk online with my peers. We had games like Solitaire, Supaplex and Blobby Volley installed. Something not many people know about me is that I still play Supaplex sometimes.
