From spotting small wins to sharing your results, here’s how women in tech can take control of their growth and thrive.
Starting a tech career can feel daunting, especially when women still make up roughly 29% of roles in UK tech. The picture is similar in the US, where women hold about a quarter of tech roles, showing this is a global challenge.
I began my career with a year of work experience in content writing while at university. I was good at it, but I knew it wasn’t my long-term path. Today, I head up a Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) product with a cross-functional team at Add People. Most of what I know, I taught myself on the job. Along the way, with plenty to prove, I learnt how to champion myself.
Spot opportunities
My pivot came from spotting an opportunity and positioning myself as the solution. I was writing strong content for websites that had a poor user experience. Rather than keep pushing traffic to clunky pages, I started making small changes to solve user pain points and shared the results.
Some of my first experiments were as simple as simplifying mobile page structure or adding a USP banner. But that small win proved the value of trying. And small tasks then turned into full-page redesigns, and eventually, a standalone CRO product.
You don’t need a new job title to do this. As long as the opportunity is both beneficial to your progression and to the business objectives, go for it. Look for gaps, propose a small, low-risk test, and tie it to a desired outcome. Early in your career, goals are set for you; as you grow, link your personal goals to the organisation’s. That’s how ownership builds.
And there’s a bigger impact too: when women bring forward new solutions, they challenge outdated assumptions about who leads innovation in tech.
Upskill with purpose
Pick one skill or tool to master and practise. For me, it was wireframing and basic analytics first; I practised both outside of work and during my allocated professional development time. I made small changes, measured impact, and reported back. Then I layered in new skills. The trick is not perfection; it’s momentum.
Keep asking, “Why should they care?” That question helped me translate ideas into business outcomes that stakeholders valued.
Research backs this up: women who upskill regularly report higher confidence and greater career mobility. In fact, a PwC study found 70% of women in tech who invested in new skills said it improved their career prospects. Focus on one area at a time to see steady progress, and don’t wait for formal training. Self-directed learning is just as valid.
Communication is key
Always keep a log of experiments, outcomes and insights. Share short updates in team channels, with stakeholders you want to influence, and bring a one-page summary to reviews or 1-1s. How you communicate what you’re working on is just as important as the task itself.
I still keep a simple log of what I’m working on each week. You can fall into a trap of only talking about wins, the things that go well. There is just as much, if not more, value in what hasn’t worked and what you’ve learned from it. Sharing those lessons builds trust and sets the tone for healthier team cultures, where experimentation is safe.
Build your personal board
The right mentor or peer community can accelerate your growth. Mentors see your blind spots and hold you accountable, while communities unlock access to new peers and ideas. Two questions a mentor asked me still shape how I think about my career today:
- If you don’t know what you want next, what do you no longer want to keep doing?
- Is this a skill you want to keep using, or just one you happen to be good at?
Those questions helped me cut through the noise when I didn’t know my next step. By eliminating the tasks that no longer served me, I was able to shape a more refined role that focused on the skills I valued most. That also permitted me to let go of work I was good at, but no longer needed to sit within my remit.
Keep receipts & enjoy the journey
Imposter feelings often spike when you grow. Counter them by keeping receipts: screenshots, before-and-after metrics, and praise buried in chat threads.
I’ve made a habit of screenshotting small wins; often, those quick notes have carried the most weight when I’ve needed to show impact. Turn wins into stories (problem, action, result) and have them ready to share when you need them.
There are many brilliant designers and engineers in tech. Your value is the mix of skills you collect while solving real problems, the experiments that failed and the constraints you worked around. That messy middle becomes your edge.
And if you’re just starting out, remember your first role doesn’t have to be your forever role. Very few careers move in a neat straight line; most are built on sideways steps, experiments, and unexpected pivots. Focus on what you’re learning, not just on whether the job title looks like a dream fit.
If you remember one thing, make it this: progress compounds when you combine habits. Spot small opportunities, share your results, and ask for what you want. Do that consistently, and you’ll be your own strongest career champion.
