Interview: Charmaine Mabika, Software Test Consultant, Speaker, Mentor, Model

By Angela Tai

So tell me, career-wise,how did you get to where you are today because I saw some really interesting progressions. You went to university for Cognitive Neuroscience and then got a job in marketing for social good companies to now a software testing consultant at one of the most sought after tech consultancies.

It’s crazy because I would’ve never been able to let you know that I’d want to go into technology. I didn’t actually know that I’d end up falling into tech. In regards to career progression, I’ve always gone with what I enjoy. I studied Neuroscience and I loved it because I like understanding people and why people made certain decisions in their lives and how that affects who they become in the future. I did look at what I enjoyed in the course and that was AI; we had a seminar where they were speaking about what’s available in technology and I did love social media and being digital as a whole. Digital marketing was an avenue I was considering as well. I didn’t realize how closely aligned digital marketing and tech are, I was just looking at the different avenues that were there. Then, I realized that tech was an option. I thought that being a Test Analyst would be super cool. So then I went through some questions: what skills do I have and what am I good at? I knew I didn’t have the strongest technical skills evidently because I didn’t study that at university. But I was someone who liked looking at and solving problems and that’s what I did in neuroscience. That’s what led me to becoming a test analyst is about understanding and solving these problems. I’m very grateful and was very lucky to land the role as soon I was finishing up university without going the conventional route. 

You recently posted about National STEM Day on your Instagram feed and how you’re waiting for underrepresentation of women in the STEM fields to be a thing of the past. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like you’ve had to prove yourself more because of your gender and/or race?

Yes, I’ve had situations where I’ve been in meetings and I feel like my opinion won’t be respected as much as someone else who’s of a different race and/or gender, this definitely adds to any imposter syndrome that you might already have. At the end of the day, regardless of my gender or my race, my technical or professional opinion should be respected either way. 

Also, you’re a tech advocate who aims to inspire individuals with no tech background to get into the industry. You’ve been invited to speak at notable events and have spoken on countless panels. So much of what you do is about giving back and supporting other women. What are some of the reasons why you think deter women from getting into the industry? 

I feel that the number one reason is representation. Growing up, STEM is a place where women are not prevalent and it’s not a sought-after career choice. When you think of other careers, a lot of women lean towards social sciences or other routes because they’re not represented in those industries because they’re not pushed onto women as much which is crazy because some of these industries are the highest paying industries! I feel like someone shouldn’t feel deterred from going into tech simply because of their gender. Going into my final year of university, I didn’t know these tech resources were accessible to me. Growing up, I wasn’t pushed to go into tech or IT, those things weren’t put onto me but I did see that with men. It was kind of like - men know how to do this and men know how to do that and are so great with computers. When it came to women, we weren’t pushed to get into these roles. I work for a consultancy and with all of these different clients, I would see a lack of women in general. I realized that across the board,  it was an industry that was lacking with female representation. When I went and looked at all of the statistics and spoke to hiring managers, you would see that women were lacking in that department so that’s why I like to push women into the tech industry. 

You talked about how the clinical route wasn’t for you but because one of your studies was on how the brain can be replicated into AI that opened the door to a career in tech for you. How has your unique background prepared you for success in the industry?

If you’re studying Neuroscience, you have to be very analytical and you’re constantly looking at studies and trying to figure out whether or not the research is critical. You have to figure out if you’re able to relate the data to the whole population. When I was doing that, I had to find a certain way in with a software system, it’s more about having that analytical mind. The soft skills are just as important for working in a team and being able to look and say: “Is this good?” or  “What potential problems do you foresee happening?” I was doing this in a more technical and product-facing role which was helpful. 

What is the greatest transformation in technology you've witnessed thus far? 

Right now, because of my love of AI, it’s my thing. I love seeing what AI can do and what it can do in the future. AI is still an emerging market and the algorithms are still being created - we all know that AI is the future. We all know that when biased algorithms are being created, it has catastrophic effects because we’re relying on AI for everyday use in terms of healthcare so we have to ensure AI is being used to its fullest potential. 

On social media, you’ve been vocal about the violence that’s going on throughout the continent of Africa. Also the human rights violations going on in Zimbabwe where you call home. Can you talk more about how you hope to use your brand/social media status to bring awareness to this part of the world that so many don’t have much visibility to?

Yes, so when it comes to the violence I see in my country and Africa as a whole, I think it’s important to raise your voice. Everyone uses social media for different reasons and purposes. I use social media to bring happiness and educate others; however, I don’t like to shy away from what’s going on in the real world. I like to use my platform to shed light on what that is. It’s not off brand because it’s who I am, especially since it’s affecting my family. Things like that really dishearten me; in the future, I hope to be a pillar of hope and offer support where I can with people in Zimbabwe - whether that’s teaching for free or something else. I would like to go home and be able to help as much as I can and ease the burden in regards to police violence and brutality. 

Your post about finishing out the year strong really resonated with us (given that 2020 has come with many unprecedented challenges). What strategies have you implemented in your daily life to enhance your overall mental health? 

I feel like I’m not overwhelming myself with a big to do list. In the beginning of COVID, I feel like there was a whole thing about not being productive and it was all about why aren’t we doing this or that but I do tell people to take each day at a time, especially if you just lost your job. It’s important to reassess your life and it’s easy to overwhelm yourself with emotions, particularly if you just lost your jobs. Lately, I’ve been able to say, “these are the three things I want done today.” It’s important to give yourself three things that you need to do in a day because that’ll bring you closer to your goals but it’s also being realistic with yourself and being able to goal set easily. 

Looking back, do you feel like there’s a catalyst in your life that altered your career trajectory or goals you’ve set for yourself? 

I would think that in general, I feel like I’ve been prepared to fail. I have the mentality where I can take risks in life and not doing things because you don’t want to trip up is insane to me right now. I’m the main character of my life and I get to decide how I want this movie to end up. It’s how I navigate it, I get zero opportunities that I don’t take if that makes sense. If I don’t speak to this person or if I don’t do this event, nobody should be looking at me and thinking - “what if I do this event and only five to ten people came?” I’ve been prepared to say if this doesn’t work out - I can always rebrand or reinvent myself. Who I am will always be changing. For example, if I get to a point where I want to get out of tech, these passions can always change in my life. Also, tech influencing wasn’t even on my radar at one point. But it’s given me so much more that I’ve been able to do and so many opportunities, it’s just about being fearless and not taking certain opportunities because not every opportunity is a good opportunity. 

What’s your advice for someone in the beginning stages of their life who’s interested in making a mid-career pivot into the tech industry?

Be fearless, there are so many different roles and industries that you can go into. If you’re having trouble, you should look at what your skill set is and what you’re good at and go from there. Be organized. Make a plan and 3 key areas of what you want to accomplish. Instead of saying you need to check off everything on your list, focus on crossing off tasks for 1-2 days/week. Maybe say to yourself, “I’m going to learn this one thing and network this week.” If you make pans, maybe 6 months from now you’ll see the results. Not everyone has a conventional journey and that’s ok.

This year has been about self-reflection and realizing our own biases and racism. What is the biggest lesson you want your non-black and POC peers to learn? 

I would say that the number one lesson is that sometimes, racism is something that’s intentional. It's something you’ve grown accustomed to and it’s something you were born into. It’s more about realizing what power you have and what other people actively do if that makes sense. Leaving certain races or genders out of the equation of what you’re doing is catastrophic in most cases. It doesn’t mean being superior, equality is about understanding what you have and being equal. It’s not about being inferior or superior and things are pushed to be that way, it’s more about cancelling out the unfairness that has been there for so long.

You’re also a model. There certainly isn’t enough representation of minorities in the beauty and fashion world. What attracted you to the fashion world and what do you hope to accomplish by showing up?  

It’s been crazy, the industry has changed so much from when I first started. The modeling industry has become much more diverse, it’s because of the representation nowadays and no two people look the same. If someone looks at the person and can see themselves, especially in the high end Dolce Gabanna fashion, it’s great. It's nice to see what other people look like and there’s no perfect model, models come in different shapes and sizes and it’s not as toxic anymore where you have to be a certain size or shape. I’ve been doing it for eight years now and I love the industry. Part of what modeling has shown me is that women can look and feel while doing amazing in their own respective careers. Oftentimes, when a woman is in a high-paying role, there’s always a fat white guy in a suit and we’re redefining what the industry looks like. I like being a model and blogger - I want to send out a positive message to other people. 

How has COVID changed the way you engage with your audience or just people in general?

COVID is the reason why I ended up getting into tech influencing. It has made me grounded and made me say to myself - “If I don’t do this now, then when will I do it?” It's a hard reality and it’s hard to digest but it has a broader impact if that makes sense.

One adjective that describes 2020 for you?

I would say groundbreaking. Yeah, it changed the way people see themselves and the world. It’s certainly changed how I’ve navigated my life moving forward so it has definitely been groundbreaking. It’s more about realization for everybody.