As a child, Meimona Hakim saw her father dismantle their home computer. Seeing the technology behind the computer sparked Meimona’s interest in computers and technology.
22 September 2022
As a child, Meimona Hakim saw her father dismantle their home computer. Seeing the technology behind the computer sparked Meimona’s interest in computers and technology. Today, she is a software developer who solves problems that are invisible to many and protects the privacy of online bank users. One of her future dreams is to become an ethical hacker.
“Technology is a stable future career because technology is the future. Especially women are very wanted in this industry,” she says, explaining why she decided to pursue a career in tech.
“I do programming, which means that I work with web applications for users. I program what happens behind the scenes on a website, for example in an online bank, and I make sure the right people have the right access to the right places. What is interesting about it is that I get to work with confidential data and protect citizens’ information.”
Meimona’s curiosity about technology has been beneficial in many ways. In her spare time, she volunteered in an organization that helps orphan children. To support their work, she is planning to create an app where people can donate money and get information about the organization.
For Meimona, one of the charms of technology is its ability to solve real-world problems.
“Recently some therapists have started to offer therapy in virtual reality. The patient wears VR goggles and gets treatment for their phobia that they are not ready to confront in real life,” Meimona says.
Before starting her studies in the university, Meimona didn’t have any prior knowledge in programming. Her curiosity and interest in problem solving were enough to convince her to apply for a degree in informatics. During her studies, she decided to specialize in language technology to explore how computers use human language.
“I typically studied practical subjects where we coded and made different kinds of programs. You can be very theoretical in the tech industry, but I like to do practical work. However, if you like theory, you can choose to specialize in less technical aspects within technology instead of working with programming. One example is that you can study design which focuses on how to create solutions that fit user’s wants and needs.”
During her studies, Meimona spent a semester as an exchange student in Singapore.
Exploring the world doesn’t have to stop when you graduate. Meimona tells that in her current job, employees can work from home, the office or wherever they want – as long as the job gets done. One of her teammates is working from Poland, while the others are located in Norway. She prefers working from home and visiting the office every now and then.
“Every day we have a daily check-up, and then we work with our own tasks. What I really like about the tech field is the chill and comfortable work environment. You don’t necessarily have to be an extrovert, as all kinds of people are accepted.”
The technology industry offers great career development opportunities for everyone. In the future, Meimona wants to work as an ethical hacker.
“Although I didn’t study cyber security, I’m really interested in it. I would like to work as an ethical hacker that companies could hire to hack their sites. This way they can tell if their sites are secure enough,” Meimona explains.
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