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This year, 8x8 was a sponsor of the Women in Tech Festival. As part of this, we’re highlighting some of the talented women who work across the departments helping us deliver our eXperience Communications PlatformTM. Based in the 8x8 offices in Cluj-Napoca in Romania, Mădălina Sebestean joined 8x8 on an internship during her second year studying at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca. Now in her seventh year with 8x8, Mădălina was recently promoted to a Senior Software Engineer position and leads a team of developers.

8x8: Did you set out to work in the IT sector or did you get here by chance?

Mădălina Sebeştean: At high school I was always good at mathematics and wanted initially to be a math teacher. I started to learn to program, and I really enjoyed it, so I went on to study it at university. When the chance for a summer internship with 8x8 in Cluj came up – the same city as my university – I applied. So, although I didn’t set out to work in IT, it happened by a great chance.

8x8: When you told people you were going to work in IT what was their reaction? Has the general response changed at all?

MS: Early on, my mother didn’t like the idea. She said it was very male-dominated. But she has come around, and now she is very happy that I’m working here.

8x8: What has been your proudest moment working in IT?

MS: Because I can combine problem solving and helping people in my daily work, I have little moments of pride every day. Recently, my manager presented a project of mine to the CEO, and he was impressed! I was really proud. The project is really interesting, and the fact that the CEO loved it means I can continue working on it with my team.

Leading as a woman in tech

8x8: What would you say has been your toughest moment(s) in IT, and how did you get through them?

MS: The earliest days in my job were quite tough. I came to 8x8 as a top student, I got good grades. But once I started working, I realized that practice isn’t the same as theory. I discovered that things moved very fast at the beginning, and it was hard to keep up. But I got support from the people around me, including my managers and peers. Now, I see a lot of new people joining, and all of them are overwhelmed by a lot of new information. I always tell them, “Don’t worry, you will get through it. We’re working on a big project that takes time to understand.”

8x8: What’s your perspective on being a woman in the tech industry?

MS: There are more men in the industry than women, and more of them occupy leadership positions and take more decisions. But in my case, I feel like I am treated equally. I was promoted to team lead in a short timeframe, and I am respected in my position and for my work, which I think says quite a lot.

8x8: What do you think will be the next big trend for women working in technology?

MS:It’s not really a trend, but I think women work in a very organized way, especially in cyber teams. Maybe women will influence the way work is done in technology in the future. With more women working in technology, they will have more influence, and we would see some interesting changes.

8x8: Would you recommend IT as a career to young women?

MS:Yes, I would recommend it. I was influenced to join the IT profession when I was at a high-profile school studying math and informatics. From that moment, I made my decision. I was one of around three girls out of 14 in my class who started work in IT. I think if you have a natural aptitude for solving problems, IT and technology is a great career—for young men, as well as women.

8x8: Do you mentor anyone yourself? What has been the biggest challenge/reward?

MS: I am trying to do this now within my team, although it’s not an official position and I’m not taking care of anyone’s career paths. It is certainly something I would like to get a chance to do in the future.

8x8: On your journey, has there been anyone who influenced you, either at the personal level or the aspirational level?

MS: The closest person for that would be my ex-manager, Marius Lapusan. He’s a very smart person who can quickly identify a problem and solve it. I’m surrounded by a lot of talented people, but there is no one like him. There isn’t a problem he cannot solve. He has a lot of experience, but you can really tell that he has a passion for what he does, which is very inspiring.

Read more in 8x8’s Women in Tech series