Women of Telecommunications
Women’s History Month celebrates women’s contributions to history, culture, and society and has been observed annually in March in the United States since 1987.
While several studies note a shortfall in gender diversity in the technology industry, Network Connex and its operating companies have been committed to attracting more women to avoid a shortfall in the future talent pipeline and help bridge the gender divide.
In honor of Women’s History month, we are profiling women who work for Network Connex and its operating companies. They discuss their backgrounds and share some inspiration with others interested in, or are in, telecommunications.
Meet Alyson Ward
Alyson Ward is an Assistant Project Manager for the Advantage Engineers’ mods and special projects teams in Mt. Laurel, N.J.
She says she didn’t find Telecommunications, it found her.
“I fell into it! I worked as a Project Coordinator Team Lead and Assistant Quality Manager at an engineering firm that worked in waterways, bridges, and tunnels. The company moved an hour and a half away from where I lived. After six months of that terrible commute, I decided to look closer to home. I found Advantage Engineers and it turned out to be a perfect fit.”
AE, “The Perfect Fit”
“AE is a perfect fit for me because the company fosters my career aspirations, my co-workers help each other, and thrive and care about each other’s home lives and families. We work hard but we also put family first.”
Alyson says she enjoys her job because she is constantly learning since technology is always changing. She says it is both humbling and gratifying. She considers earning her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification a few months ago one of her major accomplishments.
She says in her personal life her major accomplishment is the family that she has helped to cultivate and nurture.
“I am lucky they all are who they are because they are fantastic. My parents embedded my work ethic in me, but I am also inspired by my sister. She is the hardest working person I know, and she holds herself and those around her to high standards. I would be thrilled to be half as impressive as she is in both business and everyday life.
Rising to the Challenge
Alyson’s successes haven’t come without challenges.
“Both Advantage and my previous company are in niche industries where I have had to work hard to learn industry-specific information and standards. I would not change it, though, because it also helped me become confident in my ability to adapt and create positive change.”
Inspiring Others in Telecom
What advice does Alyson give other women who are interested in a career in Telecommunications? She says they should empower themselves and seek to learn from others.
“Advocate for yourself and be confident in your strengths – we are in the minority (especially those of us who are ethnically diverse) in this industry. Look at it as an opportunity and seek out other women from which you can learn and those you can teach so we can actively build more diversity in our field.”
In her spare time, Alyson enjoys going to comedy shows with her husband Andrew, watching hockey or football, and hanging out with her kids. She also volunteers with Checking for Charity (www.checkingforcharity.org) where she heads up Volunteer Relations.
About Network Connex
Network Connex, through our operating companies, provides network design and implementation services along with a variety of engineering, design, deployment, and maintenance services in the communications infrastructure space for some of the world’s most sophisticated networking and data infrastructure companies. Email Info@NetworkConnex.com For more information.