Women in Tech: Ayu Laksmita

For International Women's Day 2021, we're promoting women we admire in the Umbracosphere 💪

Written by Chloé Skye

Ayu Laksmita is a back-end web developer at Luminary, a digital agency, in Bali, Indonesia. A champion of women supporting other women in tech, she is still new to Umbraco but is already working on lots of enjoyable web projects. Ayu tells us about how women can find great resources for getting started in the industry online, her advice for being your own best advocate, and her favorite feel-good TV series.

Tell us a little about yourself

I am a web developer based in Bali, Indonesia. I work full-time for a digital agency called Luminary, specializing in back-end development.

Recently, I have been involved in web development projects using CMSs and some of the projects use Umbraco. My tasks include planning and work estimation, building functionality, and project deployment and delivery.

What’s your experience with Umbraco?

I have been working with Umbraco for a year now. The first time I got the opportunity to use Umbraco it was both challenging and exciting.

I learned a lot from reading/watching Umbraco tutorials. Umbraco TV offers lots of great fundamental topics (and some of them are free!) to help start building an Umbraco website. Also, I attended several Virtual Umbraco Meetups and there are always interesting topics for me to learn.

I am really enjoying the experience of learning Umbraco and being able to use it to build simple, well-designed and functional websites for our clients.

When you decided to enter this industry, were you concerned about facing prejudice as a woman? If yes, what were your concerns?

Actually, I have no concerns about being a woman in the industry. I never thought of facing prejudice as a woman; it never really crossed my mind.

Back when I was studying at university, I realized that there is a huge gender imbalance in IT. Fewer than 10% of the students in my class were women. Thankfully, I’ve never felt uncomfortable or excluded either at Uni or in my workplace, even though there are only a small number of women in my team.

I have always been treated fairly and I receive credit for things that I have achieved. I’ve had to prove myself but I see this as more of an advantage and an opportunity. (Editor's Note: How incredible is that?! We need to create an industry where more women can say this.)

I think the important things are to be confident about our skills, knowledge, and who you are as an individual - just focusing on your target and working hard to achieve your goals.

What do you think would help increase gender diversity in the tech community?

Support is hugely important - and a lack of support can cause uncertainty for those who are interested in entering the industry. By supporting each other, women can help boost their confidence and make them more comfortable trying new things.

Taking online classes/courses related to the field that they are interested in or socializing with women in the industry would really help get more of us involved. It will also help women stay up-to-date with the technology, adopt a growth mindset, and seek out new opportunities that will challenge them.

Other than that, the right level of mentoring and a women-friendly environment at workplaces are also necessary.

What advice would you give to other women looking to make a career move into tech?

I think a career in tech is an excellent choice for women. It offers great opportunities for remote and flexible work.

Technology is always changing alongside industry trends and inventions. There are so many free resources out there to gain valuable insight, knowledge, and skills, such as tutorial videos, books and forums.
It’s important to have confidence in your abilities to bring your talents to the industry and thrive. Be yourself and don’t be discouraged by unfortunate events or stories.
Connecting with other women in tech is a really positive thing, not only to increase your understanding of what it’s like to work in tech, but to discover new opportunities for work experience.

What book, TV series, podcast, etc. do you recommend to everyone?

One of my favorite TV series is Modern Family. The series is about three different families; it’s comical and subtle with natural humor based on situations that many families encounter in real life. Every episode deals with a different issue in the lives of the families and the characters handle situations in their own special ways - and at the end of the episode, they come up with a beautiful moral value to keep their family happy together.