Dealerware Inclusion & Diversity

Describe your experience as a woman in engineering. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced, and how have you overcome them?

As a woman in tech, a significant challenge is finding the courage to advocate for yourself. I learned this skill by observing others advocating on my behalf and seeing how my peers advocated for themselves and created opportunities. I’ve had supportive leadership, people who recognized my value and fought for me more than I did for myself. It’s essential to understand your value and learn how to advocate for yourself but also seek out leadership that recognizes and values you. If it isn’t safe for you to ask about promotions and raises or you don’t feel valued by your leadership, exploring new opportunities elsewhere is a good move.

It can also be complicated to learn how to speak up in meetings. This isn’t only a gendered issue, but you tend to see more men who are confident in their opinions and will state what they think needs to be done. Listening to others and asking thoughtful questions can be valuable in developing a comprehensive solution. As an individual contributor, I often felt like I needed to prove myself, but as I transitioned to management, I sometimes asked the stupid questions to drive the discussion forward.

What are your professional goals, and how has Dealerware enabled you to pursue them? What career growth resources/opportunities are available?

My passion began with engineering, problem-solving and architecture. It evolved into a focus on leadership as an engineering manager, and I’m currently interested in growing toward executive leadership. However, it’s important to me that I can always change direction. At Dealerware, we solve problems for our customers and develop excellent automotive software. We also examine people’s interests and skill sets, and strive to create opportunities for them. We can travel and go to conferences. Our vice president of engineering has shared access to the external training he’s engaging in with our managers and our individual contributors. We’ve hosted “Innovation Camps” to dedicate time to exploring new tools and ideas as a team. 

We’ve had more people interested in management and engineering leadership positions than we had available, but we’ve made it possible for them to work together toward those skills through our future manager training. We view leadership as a culture and strategize how we can hand responsibility to individuals while still creating a safety net for them. This is something that my leadership has done for me, and I, in turn, want to create for others.

What advice do you have for women in engineering or other technical roles regarding how to identify a company and team that will support their growth and development?

Listen to the types of questions they ask and ask your own — about priorities, values and growth. Beyond salary, ask about development opportunities. Share the next level you’re aiming for and ask, “Could you help me build the skills for that?” They cannot guarantee advancement, but it’s crucial to find people willing to invest in you. Even if you will reach the next level at a different company, the time you spend building those skills is mutually beneficial, and good leadership will recognize this.

Ask about team demographics. If you’re in the minority, they may not see gaps in supporting your needs. You can succeed, but it may come with extra challenges. Ask about balance and mental health; our industry is prone to burnout. Even if you don’t plan to have a family, ask about parental leave, as it reflects how they value well-being. Ask how often the hiring manager takes vacation. If they don’t use PTO, it may be hard to take yours. Pay attention to how they talk about their needs; do they only focus on themselves, or do they encourage you to do the same?