To a certain extent, Jennifer’s experience parallels what women choosing a career in construction face: She didn’t have many female role models. And there was an expectation that as a woman she would be content to stay in lower-level positions. What Jennifer did have was support from a few amazing mentors—both women and men. “There were people who encouraged me, who saw my value and helped me to move forward and up in different ways,” she says. She didn’t start out to pursue a career in tech. Jennifer began her professional life in human resources, where there were lots of women, but parlayed her strong skills in using HR software into a new direction.
It was a passion project. She enjoyed the technology and she was able to leverage her HR knowledge in a different way.
“The biggest hurdle is knowing what you want to do,” she says. “After that you just need to be unafraid and go for it. There’s nothing that can stop you if you’re passionate and focused.”
At Arcoro, Jennifer spends her days making sure our technology meets the unique needs of the construction industry. She talks to a lot of customers and even visits job locations to get a better handle of how contractors can leverage tech to work better. “One of the main issues I hear a lot about is removing that reliance on paper and making sure information can be accessed quickly. Mobile solutions are key to that, but so is understanding what your needs are and finding the right technology to address it,” Jennifer explains. As a woman working in technology for construction, Jennifer has found support and camaraderie with other women in the industry. She’s a member of NAWIC’s Nashville chapter and she finds the opportunity to network and participate invaluable. “I have to travel a bit to get to the events so it’s half a day out of the office, but it’s so incredibly worth it.” She suggests other women working in construction or allied fields get involved with NAWIC. “Work with them, volunteer with them, you’ll get a lot out of it,” she says. As far as other advice for women in construction or an allied field, Jennifer suggests a few things.
17
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software