Women in Tech - Q&A with Brittany Mitchell, Platform Engineer

I spoke with Brittany Mitchell, Platform Engineer at amazee.io, for our second Women in Tech series interview.

Brittany, living in Housten, Texas, is an outdoor enthusiast (when it’s not sweltering) who likes to explore new things. She has a penchant for starting new hobbies (but not necessarily pursuing them). Brittany loves traveling, eating (who doesn’t?!), and coffee. She also likes experimenting with her hair (which she cuts herself) and stacking jewelry.

Read on to learn more about Brittany, her thoughts on Women in Tech today, and her experiences in the tech world.

💬 How do you feel about being a female employee at amazee.io? / Do you feel like you can thrive in an equal-opportunity work environment?

I do. amazee.io is one of the places where there's no internal or external pressure to perform a certain way or say a certain thing. You have to get used to people's working styles, but I think that's more of a cultural or, I guess, background thing than anything to do with gender. At amazee.io, you're open to achieving as much as you want. It makes it comfortable to work here. I can thrive, especially if it aligns with things that push your workflow or the team's roadmap. I feel like many people who have roles here also have interests in topics that correspond with their roles. So, if they want to grow in that area, they have the capacity and space to do that.

💬 How did you decide to study in the tech industry?

My background is in aerospace engineering, and it was a split decision I made in a few weeks because I enjoyed physics in grade school (K12) and wanted to do something challenging. Was I passionate about it? No, but it certainly was a challenge! I got through it. I got my degree, but I didn't have any passion for it. Sometimes, when I was in my upper division classes, I felt a little guilty because the professors would always remind us that there were people out there who wanted to be in our positions but weren’t. So, sometimes, I’d ask myself, “Do I even want this seat?” It was a challenge I had set for myself, and I met it; I got my degree.

I've always been interested in tech, so I'm still in the realm of my interest. Luckily for me, it's not aerospace anymore.

💬 What made you change from working in aerospace to working for a hosting provider?

I feel like the two fields are related. They represent different types of systems. Aerospace or aviation systems in general, and then web or, what we’re doing, web hosting, they’re website systems or hosting systems. To many other people, the two don't seem very related, but to me, they're in the same arena. A lot of my background experience was in coding, like GUIs and applications. So I was always not completely front end or back end, but something in the middle. Regarding software, the most well-known are front end, back end, and full stack. I feel like the engineering for a hosting provider falls in the middle.

💬 How would you best explain what your job is?

I usually give people an unofficial elevator pitch on what it is. I always alternate between platform engineer and DevOps because some people don't know what platform means. They think I’m talking about oil rigs, but I don’t work with that type of platform. Also, some people don't know what DevOps is. Many people are familiar with dev rel or just being a developer, but not DevOps or platform engineering.

My job is to create and manage parts or pieces of a system that developers use. We have technical account managers who use the system. External developers and our customers use them, too. So, I would describe it as a more “advanced IT” role. If I explain it in terms of elevated IT, people might think we are managing the racks and other hardware in the server rooms. But my job is a lot more software- and application-focused and has more to do with managing the tooling, not necessarily the hardware.

💬 What does a typical workday look like for you?

We have a few daily meetings, the handover meetings from one time zone to the next, and some weekly meetings between teams. But day to day, it depends on the ticket I'm working on. It could be from a customer; it could be from a tool that we're testing or integrating into our internal system. It could be working on maintenance tasks like updating software or AMI packages on the clusters. It depends on what's on the board and what ticket I've grabbed. Also, since we're distributed, the meeting times will change when the time changes [to summer/winter time], so the order in which I do things will change.

I will say that when I'm working on a task and have a reasonable amount of time before a meeting, sometimes it's hard for me to snap into meeting mode because I'm so focused on the task at hand.

💬 What would you say is the best part about being a woman in the tech industry?

Guys who work in this industry are, in my experience, not as aggressive as maybe in other industries (such as finance). So I can have my own space and do my own thing. I like that my co-workers here at amazee.io have their own lives and don’t necessarily live to work. We can work in our own lane and listen to podcasts or music whenever we want. It's nice. I'm happy to be social with people that I know. But if it's forced, then I push back.

💬 What roadblocks have you encountered as a woman in tech, and how do you work through them?

One frequent thing I see is that the tech vertical is male-dominated. Sometimes, if a male co-worker thinks you are a threat to their position or something they want to achieve, it's tough to be professional and interact with those types of individuals. They feel threatened that you're encroaching on their territory, and they can be very standoffish.

I’ve worked in teams where there was not a lot of teamwork going on, and it didn’t seem very supportive. So, I got around that by trying my best not to work on things these co-workers were working on, steering clear. They usually cool off when they realize I have my own goals and path. In my experience, they usually back off after that. I feel like the basis of this type of behavior is founded in the assumption that everyone wants to be a part of their rat race. But I don't want to be a rat.

💬 Looking back, did you ever see yourself ending up in a role like this?

No, I actually did not know what I wanted to do. Like I said, aerospace was a whim, I guess, to try out. I liked tech. I was okay trying out new things. And I knew I would feel comfortable eventually, wherever I ended up. And I feel comfortable. I like what I do. I know I can grow in certain areas, get certifications, or return to school if I want to. But this is a nice place to be right now. I like the fact that I don't plan my life in five-year cycles anymore. I used to plan the next five years with achievements and milestones I wanted to reach, but now I try to take life a quarter year at a time.

💬 Do you think there are enough opportunities for women in the tech field?

Very much so, yes! I think many women focus only on what is popular right now, such as front-end development or something in business, such as fintech. But there are so many aspects of tech that people just don't even think about. Small companies might need an IT person or a UX/UI designer. The tech field is super flexible, and there's room for many people, especially with the growth of hybrids and Electronic Vehicles. The EV technology vertical would be cool to work in, focusing on tracking or GIS [Geo Information Systems], something like that for these vehicles. There are lots of opportunities. You just have to be creative and look for them!

💬 It’s no secret that few women are in the tech industry. What do you think—how can we and other companies in the tech vertical try to attract more women to the field?

Honestly, I think we have to be in women's spaces and attend events specifically for women in tech. I've noticed that women support and migrate towards things that include them. This doesn't have to be charity, scholarships, or anything like that—just showing up in the women's spaces is enough. I also don’t feel that the company representative showing up in these spaces necessarily has to be a woman. 

It's important to show that you see the women who may not feel comfortable, showing them that we know they exist, are here, and are working. I think that would help to get more women into the tech field. 

As I mentioned above, some people felt I was encroaching on their space, their territory. Many women might feel pushed out by that. However, they'll know they are accepted if they feel that others see them. This might encourage women to carve their own space, too.

💬 How do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends in technology?

I watch the news, I’m on TikTok, and sometimes, I read articles from people I follow on social media. If I'm interested in a specific device or gadget, I'll look it up, follow the company, and see what they're doing occasionally. Sometimes, I go to events, like women in tech events. I also attended AfroTech 2024. Honestly, keeping up to date is just a part of my day. 

💬 What tech trends or innovations are you most excited about right now, and how do you see them shaping the future?

I've seen a lot of progress being made in medical treatment, including dashboards and apps. I'm really excited to see how those will pan out for my community and also for underserved communities around the world. I know that for these communities, it's not just about getting the information; it's also making sure that people understand the information and are actually being helped. So I'm interested in seeing the development there. 

There was one talk that I went to at AfroTech 2024 about tracking sickle cell symptoms from medicine, doctor's appointments, and other medical topics. It was really cool. One of the features was that the medical report was sent to the app and was translated into everyday, non-medical jargon so that non-medical people could read and understand their medical report and diagnosis. I'm watching for advancement in that area. I hope that the company working on that app gets funding. I think it'll be really helpful for more positive outcomes for those people. 

Additionally, there’s this Chinese car company that makes hybrid and EV vehicles. They have or will be opening a production plant in North America. These cars are not available here yet. However, I'm hoping they will have a really big success because we don't have a lot of EVs throughout North America. In the USA, we don't have a lot of public transportation networks that span really wide and are efficient. So, maybe instead of developing the public transportation network in the US, having more eco-friendly cars would help with pollution and save resources.

💬 Any advice for women considering a future in the tech industry?

My advice is that you don't have to start from the beginning. Try to find something that's a lateral change in the tech industry. Instead of dropping everything, going back to school, learning the theoretical skills, and being put on hold for six months or maybe 12 months, try to switch to a more techie-style role similar to what you do now, even if it's not exactly what you want to do or where you want to end up. As you gain experience, you can work to learn the things for the position that you want. This approach can save a lot of time.

💬 Looking back, what would you tell your younger self, especially regarding your career path or personal growth?

I would tell my younger self to relax and not stress out too much. When I was younger, I was so hyper-focused on meeting goals that I didn't know if I had set for myself or if they were what I thought was standard for my age group. I had to achieve this milestone by that age, and I had to have had that experience by then. I had to attend this event and not miss out on that happening.

Looking back, I feel like I missed out on a lot because I was just so hyper-focused on school, career, and building up this life path. I didn’t reach all the goals, attend all the events, or gather all the experiences. I’ve let up on the five-year plans and the hyper-focused life expectations. And today, without them, I’m a lot happier. So enjoy life where you are today!

💬 Did you have any role models or mentors who guided you along the way? If so, how did they impact your career?

I always say that my high school physics teacher was a really big role model for me because she was very casual. She made the approach to physics seem simple. I don't know if I have any role models today. I have people who inspire me, but these people are not tech-related. They talk more about everyday life and making the space you live in comfortable. I don't know of people that I see as mentors or role models. I want to be self-fulfilled, not achieve things that others have just because they're doing something similar to what I'm doing. No, I don't have any role models right now.

💬 Is there anything else you want to discuss/mention concerning women in tech?

Women who are just starting in the tech world and looking for a community in tech? Start online. I like meeting people in person, but sometimes, that's just not possible. I know that the industry I am in tires people out. They often don't have the energy to meet up in person, do a lot of activities together, network, and socialize. So start online. I have some issues with group chats because of the constant messaging. So mute the chat, but join the chat. Also, you don’t have to be a more masculine version of yourself to be accepted in the field. You just have to be honest and be open about your abilities and interests.

Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me, Brittany!

Want more? Meet Deeksha Kini, Systems Support Engineer at amazee.io, and stay tuned for further interviews in this series!