WonderCoder of the month: Lisa Mallner

For the month of April, we are introducing Lisa as our WonderCoder. Read on to hear her story of how Lisa established her career in tech.

Hi, Lisa! How long have you been in tech?

I have been working in Tech for the past 5 years.

How did you get into tech?

I was working for a consultancy that did projects within the startup environment and made the jump into tech startups.

You have studied Communication, and Globalisation – Organization and Leadership as well as Intellectual and Experimental Integration. Could you please tell us a bit more about this?

My MA degree was a very practical degree that allowed me to write a project with a company every semester, so I was able to dive into real problems at companies like Foss and IBM.  The latter was actually a program that allowed me to build my own bachelor’s degree through with a multidisciplinary that combined business with political science, history, economics, and comparative literature. I left my home country to work abroad after studying, and having a multidisciplinary background was essential for that.

What is your advice to students looking for education within IT?

You don’t need to have a technical education to work in IT.  There are many continuing education programs that are available for free, and a lot of jobs will help you build the tech skills you need.  

How has your journey in tech been?

What is satisfying about working in tech is being able to have a voice in the technologies that are shaping the ways we work and live in the future.  

What are your daily activities?

I’m currently working on a project to help the Nordic startup ecosystem better interact and collaborate with Asia. I am also an organizer at Nordic.AI, AI Copenhagen, and the Copenhagen.community.

Could you share some of the challenges you’ve faced as a woman in tech? 

My biggest challenge was playing catch-up to be able to contribute to my field without a technical background.

How did you overcome that?

Through free resources for continuing education and being part of supportive tech communities offline.

Please share with our readers why they should get a career in tech!

Working in tech lets you have a say in building the tools we use to live and work. It’s also a wide field with lots of opportunity for creativity and personal development.

Any tips or advice for them?

Volunteering at tech events can be a great way to connect with the community and find new career opportunities.

Could you give us some ideas on how we can overcome the diversity gap in tech?

Hiring managers tend to recruit through their networks.  Anything to bring women into these networks would have a positive effect, especially recommending competent women when you see a job opening in your network.

What are your visions for IT in the future and what are your greatest concerns?

The gains of the IT are distributed unevenly, amplifying inequalities that already exist.

Do you know a woman in tech? Can you nominate our next WonderCoder** for our next feature?

Lenka Hudkova, who has the same MA as me and is also now in exponential technology – blockchain.  

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