From mechanical engineer to technology: get to know Ana Carolina's journey.

Everything has a beginning, right?

I personally had several beginnings, and one of those many had a beginning and an end. I studied Mechanical Engineering, I did an internship, I graduated, and it was beautiful. Until the day came when my contract with a company was canceled after the manager found out I was a woman. I lost ground and took a break from my career.

My husband Pedro embraced me and said that it was ok, that he was in a position to help out until I was ready to return. Time passed, I became a mother, and when my son turned 1, I decided to return to the job market, but where to? I dedicated time to self-knowledge, read coaching books, and watched videos and lectures. With a slightly more open mind, Pedro, CI&Ter (as we affectionately call the people who work at CI&T) for over five years, suggested the area of Software Quality. I'll admit, studying software testing was my plan B - I was going to learn, work until I got something and go back to engineering, but I love how life is full of surprises. As I alternated between motherhood and study, I started enjoying what I was learning, I found myself in the area of Technology and Information, and after six months of studying, I got the courage to send resumes. It was really fun to see my first "Hello world" in Python - a programming language commonly used in Data Science, Web Development and the like. 

The beginning of a dream

I told my husband that I wanted to work at CI&T because I already knew it. I identified a lot with the culture of genuine care for people. After studying a little, I got to know the meetups; I didn't even know what they were, I didn't understand even half of what they said, but I was there to get into the community and see people. I was terrified, but I went anyway. Coincidence or not, Vini Lucas, our Head of Talent Attraction, was starting CI&T Connect, a company initiative to promote events open to the external public, where I had the opportunity to talk and even exchange experiences. I remember telling Vini: "you just wait. In the future, it will be me on stage."

I started to work on my LinkedIn, build up courage and send messages to recruiters and ask for tips. By doing this, in September 2019, I added Solange Sobral - EVP Partner of Operations at CI&T, and I sent her a message saying that I would fight to get into the company and, who knows, have coffee together. She kindly said it would be a pleasure - and later on, it actually happened (I'll tell that story in a minute).

One day Pedro saw that a big project was starting at the company and they were hiring a lot of people, so he recommended me for a vacancy. I started the process; I did a technical test. I did well, but the manager needed a senior person because the demand was great. I understood him.

It all worked out

A few months later, I received a message from that same manager, saying: "A junior vacancy came up on the team, and I thought of you. Do you want it?" I confidently chose CI&T to be part of my life. It wouldn't just be a professional choice, but a life choice.

In 2021, I watched CI&T grow more and more, and I was present when we became a public corporation on the New York Stock Exchange. As a way of thanking the collaborating people, they raffled off ten trips with everything paid for to one of the countries where we are present (at that point United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Portugal, or United Kingdom), and to my surprise, I won! So, I thought: "what a gift, huh, universe!" 

In the meantime, there was The Developers Conference, the largest IT event in the country, and as I said to Vini before, I was about to be on the other side. I would no longer be a listener but a speaker at a major conference. After that time, I realized that that woman who didn't even know what the word "DevOps" meant would talk about a career in Quality, IT and everything else she had learned (yess!)

I chose to travel to London, UK, and guess who the person who would be there to greet me was? Solange Sobral! Yes, the one I talked to on LinkedIn before even becoming a CI&Ter. I went to London to enjoy my moment, to celebrate life and my achievements and I achieved another goal: I had lunch with Solange, and we ordered coffee with some chocolates in a delicious Italian restaurant. Indeed, fate had done its homework.

So much has happened. I still smile wide, remembering all these moments. At the age of 29, married and a mother, I decided to change my life, and now it's not even a plan anymore, it's my reality, it's what motivates me, it's what makes me wake up every Monday excited for the week, and be happy to work where I work. After all, CI&T is more than a job. It's a life transformation. 

We often use a sentence here: "we develop people before we develop software," and I am living proof of that. 

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