Women’s Voice: The world of data analytics could do with more empathy

Looking back, I had two distinct motivators that were also my inspiration for choosing a career in the field of technology and data science.

I was deeply inspired by strong, hard-working, and confident women like my mother – a project manager at IBM. Alongside this, to put it simply – I loved technology and numbers.

Growing up, the minute a new piece of technology was introduced, I had to try it out. At university, you would always find me on a computer, coding away. So, this was a natural progression and career choice. The fact that there weren’t (and still aren’t) as many female counterparts, meant that there was a greater focus on bringing more women into this field, and that I always had plenty of opportunity to grow in my career. But as much as this may seem like opportunities galore, it does come with its set of challenges.

For the better part of my career, I thought I had to tuck away my emotional, ‘feeling’ side and rely on pure fact in anything I said or did. It’s how I thought I would be taken more seriously, and it’s what I believed would earn me the credibility I deserved. And you would think that fitting of a data analyst, wouldn’t you?

But that couldn’t be further from the truth. In the world of data science, one that can be lonely for a woman particularly at the top, I realised that my emotions and empathy coupled with my rational brain and penchant for analysis and number-crunching is the very thing that sets me apart, that pushes me forward, and that is without an iota of doubt, my superpower in this male-heavy world of technology and data science.

Today, I am lucky to work with an organisation of innovators at CAFU. This is what gets me out of bed every morning and makes me come alive. Here, I use my superpower every day, to understand the motivations and needs of our consumers – this relies not just on the rational-number-crunching-analytical part of me, but also on my ability to empathise when relating to human beings in order to understand what more we can do to simply make life better.

So, to any woman out there considering a future career in the field of technology and data – tap into your emotional-rational connect and do so with pride and confidence.

This isn’t something to hide or conceal under a veil of facts and figures. Rather bring it to life by wearing it on your sleeve. Don your capes and exercise your superpower – this is what will help you grow forward in your career.

Natalie Fuller is the head of Data Analytics at Cafu