Cristina Bedda has been a Software Developer at Luxoft, Italy, for almost a year and a half. She obtained a doctorate degree in physics and years later, having the experience of an experimental physicist at CERN, she decided to change her career path and entered the IT industry.

Cristina Bedda, Software Developer at Luxoft, Italy

Cristina Bedda has been a Software Developer at Luxoft, Italy, for almost a year and a half. She obtained her PhD in Physics and after years of experience as an experimental physicist at CERN, she decided to switch her professional pathway and move to the IT industry. She has always been interested in scientific and computer technology subjects. As a physicist, Cristina started to develop code to analyze the data from the experiment she was working on and to test hardware functionalities. When she decided to change the industry, Cristina realized coding was the part of her job that she enjoyed the most. Therefore, she decided to apply for IT positions, even though she knew that she would have to learn a lot.

Cristina thinks it is very important to keep the discussion about having a diverse and inclusive workplace going. She said that a lot of work in this direction has been done in the last few years, but there is still more to do to overcome stereotypes. She hopes that she can be part of this change to see more women in the IT industry soon. In the past, Cristina has been struggling to keep the right balance between her personal and professional life. She worked until her tasks were entirely completed, neglecting her personal life which caused her a lot of stress. Nowadays Cristina knows that if we want to stay proactive we have to leave our brains to rest and disengage ourselves from work. In that way, we can restart the next day with a fresh and clear picture.

Cristina advises everyone not to be afraid to go for a career in the IT industry if it is something that we are really interested in. She tells us not to listen to our inner voice if it is saying that we are not good enough. Cristina thinks that instead of doing this we have to look back at what we have already achieved, and motivate ourselves even more. Cristina adds that projects in the IT field can change very fast, and everyone is learning new stuff every day, so we have to keep a positive and proactive attitude all the time. She shares that she has had the chance to work with very confident and passionate women who were not afraid to speak up and raise their voices when it is needed. In fact, these females were the ones who really inspired Cristina to gain more self-confidence and overcome her inner insecurity. Nowadays, Cristina hopes that everyone will find their inspiration to develop and succeed in both personal and professional plans.

Can you tell us about yourself and your experience?

My name is Cristina, and I’ve been a software developer at Luxoft Italy for almost a year and a half. I have a PhD in physics and, after a few years in academia working as an experimental physicist at CERN, I decided to move to the IT industry.

What influenced you to start a career in IT?

I have always been interested in scientific and computer technology subjects. As a physicist, I started to develop a code to analyze the data from the experiment I was working on and started testing hardware functionalities. When I decided to change the industry, I realized coding was the part of the job that I enjoyed. Therefore, I decided to apply for IT positions, even though I knew that I would have to learn a lot!

Read More Inspiring Stories for Women in Tech in WRTech here.

What inspired you to become an ambassador?

I think it is very important to keep the discussion about having a diverse and inclusive workplace going. A lot of work in this direction has been done in the last few years, but there is still more to do to overcome stereotypes, and I hope I can be part of the change. I really hope to see more women in IT soon and that people (including me) start recognizing the role of unconscious biases in their decisions.

What advice would you give to people interested in raising their awareness of D&I?

I would suggest taking some of the tests related to unconscious biases that can be easily found online. For example, I took one related to the association between gender and humanities and scientific careers, and it made me really think about the subject and how hard it is to get over
our inner biases.

What advice would you give to all young women considering a career in IT?

I would just say to not be afraid and go for it if it is something that you are interested in. Don’t listen to the inner voice saying that you are not good enough and instead look back at what you achieved. From my still limited experience in IT, projects can change very fast, and everyone is learning new stuff every day, so just keep a positive and proactive attitude.

“When I decided to change the industry, I realized coding was the part of the job that I enjoyed, therefore I decided to apply for IT positions, even though I knew that I would have to learn a lot!”

How do you manage your professional and personal lives to be successful in both?

In the past, I struggled to keep a balance between my personal and professional lives. I couldn’t define a border between them, and I would just work until my task was completed, neglecting my peрsonal life. Of course, that leads me to a lot of stress, and I learned that, most of the time, it is better to leave your brain the time to rest and disengage from work. It allows you to restart the next day with a fresh, clear picture.

Who is a role model for you? Who do you look up to and why?

There are a lot of stories about successful women and men that can inspire us, but I don’t think it is very easy to connect ourselves to role models that are very far from our daily lives. I’ve had the chance to work with very confident and passionate women that were not afraid to speak up and raise their voices when it was needed. They really inspired me to follow in their footsteps and overcome my inner insecurity. I really hope everyone can find someone to inspire themselves like this.

Favourite clothes?

Jeans and a Т-shirt.

High heels or flat shoes?

Low shoes absolutely.

Which typical female quality or household responsibility does not apply to you?

Cleaning.

What is THE thing that you must have in your bag when going out?

My phone.

Favourite lipstick colour?

I don’t wear makeup often, maybe light red.

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