My most recent achievement was:
Finding a job at the start of 2021. I strongly dislike the different hoops someone needs to jump through to apply to jobs. The endless questionnaires, cover letters that some people claim don't get read anyway, uncompensated take-home projects no-one has time for, timed challenges, etc. I once got a reply to a job application almost a year later. 😕 I seriously don't know what the next interview process will be like.
Advocating for myself looks like:
Speaking to my manger when something bothers me or I don't feel like my position in the company is safe. I think it's from my experience in other companies, but I am very hyper sensitive to people's reactions and how they speak to me.
It is mentally draining to feel like you are not seen as good as an engineer as the rest of your team and that no matter how hard you're working and how many more hours you work you still feel like none of it changes a manager's perception of you and your competency as an engineer.
My biggest goal is:
Work on more projects I can be proud of while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
My advice for allies to support underrepresented folks:
Analyze what you've been doing to support minorities in tech. Have they left your company? Did you let them go because they didn't measure up to your standards? If you want them to succeed in your company, ask them how you can better support them. Do you have a careers page on your site talking about how much you value diversity and people's different backgrounds but it seems to be all talk? Work on that.
Flexible hours are also important to me. You can't expect someone in a different time zone to constantly work at the same time you are.
There is something else I want to address: recognize when you make mistakes and acknowledge them. I've had to bring up concerns about managers in previous companies and I always get praised for doing so but I feel like this happens too often and I'm tired of having to go though this experience.
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