Olga Maximova is a Femme Palette mentor and Head of Nonprofit Development at Czechitas. In this spotlight interview, we asked Olga about working in non-profit, what needs to change to attract more women to the tech industry, what opportunities there are available, and much more.
Well, to sum it up, I'm someone who loves helping others and learning from others. I build strong connections and connect the right people to the right opportunities. I'm also a big fan of cycling, walking, and I love dogs .)
Professionally, as the Head of Nonprofit Development at Czechitas, I manage fundraising and development efforts, working with a great team to support the organization's mission of empowering women into IT. I am also very proud to be a member of the Board of the recently founded Czechitas Endowment Fund, bringing fundraising and development expertise to the table.
Additionally, I've been mentoring with Femme Palette for over three years, which has been a transformative experience. It's all about helping others succeed while also reflecting on my own strengths and areas for growth.
Looking back, I have built on my previous life and career experiences: studying, traveling, living and working overseas since pretty junior age , also working at the British Embassy for many years and helping people out of crises. It is all nicely fitting and making sense.
No, not at all. I never had aspirations to go this way; in fact, it never occurred to me that the sector could be so rewarding, professional and uplifting. I thought I would try it but did not in a million years think I would enjoy it so much and advocate for the sector.
Now, after three and a half years, I learnt more than ever before in such a short time. I used to look at nonprofits with distrust and felt it was a stagnant area, but I was wrong! Czechitas gave me a brilliant opportunity to see the sector through other lenses. It is inspiring and gratifying.
There are a few.
The impactful social change goes beyond helping individuals, which is in itself already fantastic. But by equipping women with IT skills, we create social change on multiple levels. We not only bridge the gender gap in the tech industry but also contribute to the overall advancement of society. Our work impacts the lives of the women we support, their families, and the border community.
In terms of personal growth and continuous learning, working for Czechitas enhanced many aspects of my career. I have a lot of trust in how I do my job, and the organization highlights that lifelong and continuous learning helps us master and become better leaders.
Moreover, Czechitas has a strong work culture that fosters unity, especially during challenging times. The sense of togetherness we experience is exceptional and goes beyond the norm.
Again, there is not one answer to this and I believe different parties could take various actions simultaneously to change the current status quo. In order to attract women to IT:
I greatly recommend reading a study by one of our co-founders Barbora Bühnová and her colleague Lucia Happe called Frustrations steering women from software engineering, which is based on answers from our Czechitas graduates as well. Very well-written and clear.
It depends on whether we are talking about girls wanting to pursue IT at a high school or about high school students considering selecting informatics at a university.
In the first case, mothers strongly influence girls when they are young. Mums serve as their role models, and if mums cannot imagine what it means for their little girl to be a software engineer or pursue a data analyst career, she is doubtful to support such a journey or even suggest to their daughter to consider it. It will not come up once during conversations about careers. We must focus on this opportunity - parents as role models passing on their excitement about IT to their children.
For girls choosing universities and IT as fields of study, the predominantly masculine environment there can potentially be a problem. And even though guys make jokes, often I believe unknowingly hurting them, the pain of social rejection becomes real and may affect the girls' study trajectory.
I like this question because it uncovers the reality of choice paralysis. There are so many options, career paths to IT, and courses and opportunities that it can overwhelm you and prevent you from starting. And I would like to offer a simple answer: choose one organization, program, or initiative and start.
Whether you choose Czechitas or start on one of the many online platforms such as Coursera, Linkedin Learning or SkillsBuild, it is up to you. But stick to one for a start, and it will gradually start making sense and unfold other opportunities.
If you want our help, Czechitas offers free courses called Poznej (Get to Know), where we help explain where and how to start.
According to the Behavio survey, Czechitas is the No.1 organization that comes to people's minds when you ask them about vocational training for women in IT. We demonstrated results for our nearly ten years of existence - our work impacted more than 60 000 people in 2022 alone, and more than 1300 women changed their careers and that is a solid argument to join us. We have quality programs and expert-level know-how thanks to our volunteers, who are experts in their fields and thanks to our partner companies and donors. So I would encourage leadership of the tech companies and their employees, if they like to make a change, to join our community and support us. Together we can be a catalyst for a positive future.
People can join us as volunteer lectors, mentors, and coaches and share their knowledge. Individuals and companies can financially support Czechitas or recently founded Czechitas Endowment Fund with their CSR - philanthropy programs and grants. Individuals can donate via platforms such as darujme.cz or via their employer-giving platforms such as Benevity or Global Giving. I could list endless opportunities to support us and become one of Czechitas' community members, so I invite you to contact me via Linkedin to discuss this.
