Hero Digital is happy to feature Jazmin (Jaz) Allen-Collins for our Women in Tech series. Jaz encourages women to let go of anything currently holding them back from trying new things and promoting change. Check out her story below.
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I think the moment when I decided I wanted to work in Tech was during my senior year of college. I took a class where our core goal was to build a company and all the brand materials around it—logo, business card, website (in DreamWeaver, blech), and any other online assets we wanted. I built a company called Jazzy Mktg & Dsgn and actually ran with it in the real world. My first client came to me within a month and my first web development client within a few months. I had to learn WordPress development quickly and, after that it became my passion, ultimately changing my idea of what I wanted to do (which, frankly, I wasn’t 100% sure of at the time anyway).
When I look back, I actually realize the field I’m in was a long time coming. I was building websites when the pre-WYSIWYG website builders were still new, using them for school projects and my first business: a photography service. Through college, I was writing online articles and building WordPress blogs/sites. So, this was something that just naturally evolved, and becoming a Business Analyst was a natural fit that I didn’t even realize was sneaking up on me in my career.
Imposter Syndrome is such a killer of optimism, change, and progress. It has definitely crept up on me from time to time, especially when I’m doing something new. Because of this, I have previously approached new things with caution and over-planning. As I’ve evolved personally (and removed negative influences), I have come to realize that it was all mental. Anything I’ve wanted to do, I’ve been able to do with practice, focus, and determination—all in my own way—so who am I pretending to be other than myself? I’m not an imposter, I’m actively learning to progress in my field.
For any women looking to enter the world of Technology, I would encourage them to let go of anything currently holding them back from trying new things and anything holding them back from promoting change (personally, internally and professionally, outwardly). Technology as an industry is constantly changing and adapting to new needs and inventions and it’s not something you can stop or get too behind on. Otherwise, you’ll get left behind. So, any woman with Imposter syndrome or a mentality based on past failures will need to find a way to put that aside in order to be successful in this industry – just as someone would need to put aside their ego in an environment that promotes learning and mistakes. It will only slow you down. The most successful people in Technology are rapid change-makers and are actively learning new skill sets so they can adapt and keep up. Women are natural adapters, so Technology is actually a perfect industry for women. They just don’t always recognize it right away. But as soon as they do and “lean in” or “dive headfirst,” they may never look back.
Outside of work, I love spending time with my family, bartending, and going on trips—big or small! Honestly, these days, a trip “down the hill” (I live in the mountains) is a nice getaway. I also love to rebuild old websites in WordPress to advance my skills.
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Thanks for your interest in Hero Digital’s Women in Tech. At Hero, we strive to showcase outstanding female talent at our company, and in doing so, empower others—both within and outside of Hero—to join the growing number of women in technical roles across industries. Connect with us on our careers page to learn more about open positions at Hero Digital.
