Elena has been a part of Parallels for more than twenty years, playing a crucial role in establishing the groundwork for the ongoing advancement of Parallels Desktop.
Her extensive tenure in the industry has endowed her with a wealth of experience in virtualization, cloud services, and server-specific technologies. She is the author of ten international patents and their subsequent continuations. Before her current role at Parallels, Elena obtained a master’s degree in computer science with honours.
The Journey so far…
I must go back to when I was a child and attended a STEM class to truly find the moment that sparked my fascination with physics, chemistry, mathematics, and biology. From a young age, I decided that I wanted to become a scientist and envisioned myself in Biological Medicine and Technology. However, a last-minute encounter with students from the IT faculty changed things for me professionally forever.
Their enthusiasm opened my eyes to software development as a significant booster for a diverse range of tasks, including scientific research, that makes our lives better. So, I decided to opt for Software Engineering for Computers and Computer-Based Systems in the end. During my studies, I continued to do research in Physics and computerise algorithms for mathematical modelling of processes, and to this day, I still keep in touch with the latest scientific (biotech and physics) trends as a hobby. However, the new areas of technologies and instruments that I learnt about as a part of my student work hugely expanded my horizons.
My excitement for system programming, success in assembly language, and the art of writing drivers captivated me. These technological passions that I developed led me to join a startup focused on virtualisation, which was an actively growing industry of solutions for people, kind of like AI is today. Which consequently, as I covered more technologies (cloud, server, and infrastructure specifics), helped me get to where I am at Parallels (Part of Alludo).
The advice I’d give for getting into and staying in the industry.
The same tips/recommendations that I am about to outline, are the same that will apply in various fields and not just specifically in technology.
To remain successful in any industry, it’s essential to remain adaptable and up to date with any industry trends that are currently taking place or are on the horizon. Likewise, for those who are looking to get into the industry, it is important to make sure that you are not just sitting there on the sidelines waiting for your chance to get into the game. You must remain up to date with what is going on in the industry. While at the same time ensuring that you are developing and learning new skills that will make you adaptable to any changes that may arise in the technology sector.
Whether you are currently working in the tech sector or looking to enter the sector, you must have an open mind. A willingness to engage with professionals in the industry, nurture curiosity, and be prepared for challenges that will inevitably arise that require problem-solving and from those situations continuous learning.
In addition to everything mentioned above, fostering a collaborative environment that attracts tech professionals from a variety of backgrounds around the world is key. Being viewed as a potential or current tech professional who is trustworthy and easy to speak to concerning innovative ideas are all qualities that will make tech professionals no matter their level in the sector want to engage with you. Additionally, whether you have been in the sector for a multitude of years or are looking to venture into it for the first time, establishing leadership qualities such as listening, mentoring, delegation, and support, could be the difference between how quickly you travel up the professional ladder or if you don’t. In some ways no matter the seniority level we are all leaders.
