Equality was never an issue in my family. My father was an engineer, so it never occurred to me (or my family) that I couldn’t follow the same career path. I had the freedom to choose any path I wanted.
The world, however, had other ideas – ideas about whether women were up to the demanding task of a career in engineering. I was fortunate to avoid much of this bias until I went to college – but 25 years ago, the landscape was much less welcoming than it is today.
But I kept going. I did what I’d always done and leaned on the values that my family instilled in me from a young age. I proved that I’m just as capable as everybody else; it didn’t matter if I was a boy or a girl. All I had to do was not give up.
Now two and a half decades later, I am continuing to break stereotypes as a manager. And I’m proud to be doing so at a company like PagerDuty, which shares the same values that I grew up with and still live by.
Creating Culture “The Right Way”
PagerDuty is not only very welcoming, but the company builds culture the right way – with authenticity, inclusivity, and intentionality. Culture is not an afterthought here, but rather the foundation of our values and business strategy.
Inclusion, Diversity & Equity (ID&E) is at the heart of how we operate. It’s part of our mission, for sure, but also part of our daily business processes. And we hold ourselves accountable as we embrace both the opportunities and challenges ahead.
In that spirit of accountability and transparency, here are just a few of our accomplishments:
- Senior leadership team is 40% female
- Board of Directors is 50% female and 75% people of colour
- 43.5% of our managers are female
- Global Pay Equity is within one cent for male and female employees
Our commitment to diversity isn’t just at the higher levels. We have steadily worked toward equal representation on my engineering team, including women and men from multiple cultures around the world.
Our sense of community also extends beyond the office – we have wellness weeks, volunteering opportunities, and other ways to get involved in local causes. While this is somewhat more common among large multinational firms, it’s rather unique in Portugal for a company the size of PagerDuty to “walk the walk” of community involvement and support employees’ physical and mental health.
Everyone who comes to PagerDuty – me included – has an equal opportunity for success and career growth. Our hiring pipeline is inclusive, treating women and men equally and fairly. And while we are serious about diversity hiring, we also want to find the best people to do the job and who are aligned with our values.
It’s Your Career – Take Control of It
My drive to succeed hasn’t slowed down. Just as I refused to listen to those in college who doubted a woman could have an engineering career, I completed management training, proving that I can do the same work as others regardless of gender or background.
The world is different now. There are more women in engineering at universities and more girls interested in technology. Some of the former mentality still exists, but it’s changing.
Just ask yourself: what do you want to do with your life? Do you want to be a developer, or do you want to be in management? You own your career – so decide on a path, look for companies that are aligned with your goals and values, and take the necessary actions to turn your dreams into reality.
I know my father would be proud of me today because I never doubted myself. I didn’t quit. I never gave up.
He often said to my mother, “don´t worry, she’s got this.” I can still hear his voice today, pushing me forward.
I’ve got this – and so do you.
We currently have engineering openings at all levels in our Portugal location. For information or to apply please visit PagerDuty Careers. Or contact me on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiacperdigao/
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