As with many children, Joy Kemunto had dreams of becoming a doctor in her childhood. However, several decades later, she finds herself being a Woman in Technology and is enjoying every single minute of it.
So, who is Joy Kemunto and what does her job in IT entail?
“I am currently the Head of IT at Longhorn Publishers PLC,” Joy Kemunto, 34, says, “I have been in the IT industry for close to 10 years and have a keen interest in cybersecurity. Being a Woman in Technology, my job entails ensuring that all system applications at work are working properly. I also ensure all employees can work comfortably from anywhere as long as they have internet connectivity. I also ensure that the network infrastructure; that is for internet connectivity, is stable and secure to avoid bad people from taking information meant for the company only.”
Quite the job description, eh? With that much to do, how then does Kemunto find a balance between her work and personal life?
“I have a daily work plan for the day’s activities at work, which I prioritize based on urgency. I also take 20 minutes during my lunch break to meditate and read a book.”
Furthermore, Kemunto avoids taking work back at home even when a task is yet to be completed. Unless in very rare circumstances.
“When home, it is about my family and me,” she says, and it’s hard to disagree.
Working in tech as a woman comes with many pitfalls, among them biases against women, and Kemunto has experienced this all too painfully.
“Yes I have,” she says on encountering biases in her field, “to a point that I was denied a job promotion because I am a Woman in Technology. I did not let it demoralize me, however. I took self-study courses and kept soaring in meetings and in my work, which proved that I could do the job.” Check out others who have experienced the same.
Impressive indeed. And with time she came to love her career, especially the ever-changing technological trends, which she says make life’s operation easy.
To the young women getting into male-dominated spaces, Kemunto has a word of advice for you.
“There is no limit as to what you can do based on your gender,” Kemunto says passionately, “Just have focus and you can be what you want to be, as long as you are good at it.”
From her ten-year experience in such a space, these are true, wise words.
