Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nieka Webster . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Nieka, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.
The most innovative thing I have done in my career is have a very fast learning capacity in information technology. Growing in my career is both challenging and imperative. For me, it’s demanding to be the best at what I do, because my work is a reflection of me. Self improvement is key and it has advanced me to take on new challenges to become so much more than where I currently am. To evolve with technology means being adaptable. I have had the amazing opportunity to simplify processes as a software engineer for large corporations throughout my career programmatically and then automate those processes as a software test engineer. Evolving and being adaptable in a technological manner has advanced me in innovation and scientific creativity.
Nieka, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Though my education is in Software Engineering, my career started in software testing. As manual software testing phased out, a hybrid version of testing was created called Software Test Engineering. Automation of testing got testing done a lot faster, increased my knowledge of writing code and put another skillset on my resume. Software Engineering + Software Test Engineering = Nieka Is More Marketable. As processes became automated so did testing. This direction of innovation produced a faster delivery to stakeholders. I made damn sure, that I was going to keep up with it. I have tested Point Of Sale Software for a fuel corporation to ensure flawless operation and maximize fuel discounts at gas stations, Aerospace software that protects military troops for a defense technology company, led my own scrum team as a Scrum Master for a healthcare Fortune 500 corporation under agile methodology, simplified processes as a Software Engineer for some of the top retail corporations, etc. My goal is to keep going and advance on every technical level that technology directs me. My work ethic and sharp mind are two things that I am most proud of. It is what has gotten me to where I am in my career today.
Have you ever had to pivot?
A huge pivot in my career was demanded. As I have worked for staffing agencies on multiple contracts. I assisted in maintaining the relationship of business between the company I was contracted to work at, with the staffing agency I was working for. After being exhausted with giving a percentage of my income to the staffing agencies over the course of my career, I decided to take full ownership as an independent contractor. This was a HUGE pivot. I had to further expand my mindset, not only in technology, but now in finance, contracts and business. I didn’t realize it at the start of my career, but I know now that this is what God has been preparing me for all this time. I NOW know the true meaning of, my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55: 8-9). I have some thing else that I am working on that is big in the technology space, but I will wait to share that.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn that I was more than a software engineer and that there was no space for me in technology as an African-American woman. My determination of advancing and becoming more marketable in the information technology industry has allowed me to wear multiple hats. My growth and being adaptable is the reason I am an entrepreneur of my own technology company.
Image Credits
Motelewa Smith.