One of the important duties in my job is helping customers figure out “why”: with all of the options that are available to them for their needs, and their limited time and resources, why is my product the one that they should choose?

Considering a career in tech prompts the same question. Of the career fields and options available, why should you, as a woman of color, pursue a career in technology? More specifically, why should you pursue this career field considering the well-known, heavily researched, and persistent challenges we continue to face in the field?

To be honest, I struggled with how to effectively answer that question every day while I wrote this book. I deal with many of the issues raised in this book, and more, such as the following:

• Keeping up with dynamic and complex technology areas, while balancing what's demanded of me daily at work and home.
• Dealing with the occasional insensitive comment made by the ignorant and the unpleasant, rooted in misconceptions about my race and gender, and then wrestling with whether to respond and be dubbed as “sensitive” or let the comment stand but let it slowly eat away at my spirit.
• Seeing many people willing to give easy praise and “advice,” but few willing to publicly advocate on my behalf professionally. There are people who say they are allies but whose words, actions, and motivations reveal anything but.
• Being the only one like me in the room and sometimes feeling tokenized.
• For the women of color peers I do have, sadly watching them leave for other industries because they've simply had enough.
• Feeling like I had to work 10 times harder to be taken seriously, let alone advance in my career, and feeling pressure to always exude perfection rather than vulnerability.

Some days, it was tough to get excited about what I do, and I kept thinking, if I can't excited about why I'm in tech and why I stay, then how can I inspire someone else to take this path?

My “why”—what inspired me to come to tech and to stay—is that it is one of the few career fields that fully utilized my interests, skills, and passions. While I face challenges, and not always of the good, constructive kind, I am fully engaged. I love getting lost in my work, learning new things, and never having two days that are the same. I love what I do, and that love and the benefits I’ve received far outweigh any challenges that have come my way.

Tech is a field full of creativity, research, and discovery, where innovations can be used to solve the world's most pressing problems. Essential and purposeful work is being done all throughout the tech sector, and I love being part of the solution.

More importantly to me, I want to make the path easier for the future generations of female tech leaders. When they see other women of color out there and making it happen, despite the difficulties, then they know that there are not limited to opportunities that there have been historically. They know that these opportunities are out there, and they know that they truly are not alone, because we will always be there and have their backs.

It is not an easy path, but it can be a richly rewarding one—for your mind, your heart, and, hopefully, your wallet! I hope that you'll bring your talents and energies to the field, because you belong here, and you are very much needed.

Switching gears a bit … studying architecture is one of my favorite pastimes. What I love about architecture is that it can transform a building from being functional but ordinary into one that is memorable and iconic. It's what separates the Empire State Building or the Willis Tower from other tall office buildings. It can help a building become the standard that all other future buildings will measure themselves against.

Good architects require a strong understanding of what makes a building safe for people to enter and use on a regular basis and how to make it follow safety rules put in place by local agencies. Good architects also need to know how to take a client's requirements and translate them into a design that meets those basic needs and is pleasing to the mind and eyes. Considering that the average worker spends about a third of their life in an office, being in an office or building that is safe and pleasant is always ideal.

All great buildings start (and require) a blueprint before any major work is done. At a high level, a blueprint is a detailed technical drawing. Given the costs, resources, and time it takes to get a building from concept to reality, architects can't just approach the process haphazardly or without a solid plan. A blueprint details exactly what tasks or work needs to be done, what materials are to be used, and an estimate of the time and costs (tangible and intangible) that the project will take. Additionally, blueprints are constantly reviewed and revised, as needs (and challenges) arise.

To me, becoming a good tech professional is not much different. Tech professionals, at minimum, need to have solid technical skills. Depending on where you land in tech, this may mean knowing how and when to use various programming languages, knowing how to analyze massive amounts of data, or knowing how to keep computers and computer networks secure. In my job, I need to be able to effectively demonstrate complex technical concepts about cloud-native software development. If I'm unable to do that, I can end up losing credibility with clients and people within my organization.

Being an in-demand and respected tech professional, however, takes much more than technical skill. Tech professionals need to be able to communicate effectively in both oral and written forms. They need to be adept problem-solvers who treat challenges as opportunities and who know how to move forward even when things get tough. They need to have a continuous growth mind-set, understanding that skill and knowledge attainment is a lifelong process instead of having an “I went to school, so I'm done” attitude. To be successful, they need to be “renaissance women”—talented and knowledgeable in many different areas.

Great tech professionals also know that a huge attributor to success is a plan. They know that a great career will not materialize on its own and requires a plan. When there are changes along the way, they know that they should consult their “blueprint” as a guide and revise it as necessary.

This book will help you design your own personal blueprint for starting your tech career. Whether you are mapping out your first career or you're someone who is figuring out what your next career will look like, the tips, tools, and strategies discussed in this book are designed to help you figure out how to get the skills to be successful in the role and how to stand out among the crowd. What is in here reflects my own hard-fought and rewarding journey into tech—including my successes, failures, and lessons learned.

This book is also written with the challenges of women of color in mind. It's no secret—in fact, it's been repeatedly documented, analyzed, and studied for many years now—that women of color face unique challenges in general, let alone getting into and being successful in general in tech. This book will discuss some, unfortunate challenges that some women of color tend to encounter at home, at work, and at school in achieving their career goals, and try to provide strategies for how to navigate these challenges head on.

First, before going further, I should stress that as well-meaning as my advice and stories may be, they should not be taken as gospel, or as the only way to have a successful tech career. There are many ways to get into and be successful in tech; there is no one path. The approaches I discuss in the book have been the most helpful to me. I hope you find value in them as well! But I'm a firm believer in thinking for yourself, as you know who you are and what you want better than anyone else. Do your homework and do what makes sense for you, not because an authority figure, expert, or even me, says so.

Second, although I touch on matters related to personal finances and mental health, I am not a licensed professional in those areas, and what I talk about in the book should not be a substitute for getting personalized advice and help. Please, please, please seek licensed professional guidance where appropriate and needed.

Third, the thoughts, ideas, and opinions expressed here are my own. The views that I’ve presented are not a reflection from any of my current or former employers, and not endorsed.

Lastly, as you go through this journey, always know in your heart that you are worthy and deserving of a seat at the table that is tech, if that is what you want. I know in my heart you have what it takes to be successful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.