21st Century Women in Technology: Beatriz Seco Cao
They say that “it’s never too late to set things right” and an example of this is our colleague Beatriz Seco Cao, this week’s guest for our 21st Century Women in Technology series. She studied English Literature, loves cinema, live music, has been interested in the visual arts since childhood: she draws and designs (she loves knitting and has now even ventured to create her own brand), has fun with role-playing games and also collaborates with social and animal activism projects. She is a “renaissance woman”, a polymath, with a background in many arts and skills.
But what about this interest in technology? Although she had already started out as a “technical industrial engineer specialising in mechanics” in her childhood, it was not until she was 31 that she decided to train as a senior technician in Network Systems Administration (NSA). Her main motivation for doing so was her curiosity to understand the world. Today she enjoys how she can continue learning and knows that her own work is a contribution to something bigger, more complex and that works.
What did you want to do when you were little?
I remember how I loved Formula 1, I wanted to be one of the mechanics and with my brother I would set up the pit with boxes, so we were a mix between the A-Team and Knight Rider with fast assistance. When I was about 12 years old my father told me: “Those guys are all Technical Industrial Engineers specialising in mechanics.” I have no idea if it was true or not [laughs], but it stayed with me for years.
Why did you choose technology?
Partly to satisfy my curiosity to understand the world on both a large and small scale. From understanding how a rocket flies to the smallest element that is part of life; I think that when you have the chance to stop and appreciate all that we can do today thanks to technology, literature, science… you help to combat ignorance in some way. I consider ignorance to be a very dangerous tool in this day and age (I am the first to be ignorant about many things, but I’m not happy about it). And you don’t have to be a graduate to want to fight ignorance; nowadays information, fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), is available to everyone in so many ways.
Where did you plan to study? Why?
I’ve told this anecdote so times [laughs]… Initially I thought about studying Computer Engineering in Ourense, but my brother has a wonderful head for mathematics and logic and he wanted to study it himself. I didn’t care and I started to think that I wouldn’t fit in well in any engineering either; I liked literature and languages, so I went for humanities. Years later, when I was 31, I wanted a change and finally studied the higher cycle (it’s never too late…).
What are you currently working on?
At Gradiant I work as a DevOps in the Cloud Native team within the Intelligent Systems area. I am currently working on a project making use of IaC (infrastructure as code) technologies such as Terraform and Ansible among others; with them I deploy virtual node infrastructures (Linux and Windows with VmWare) and my work is mainly focused on the automation of tasks within these previously deployed nodes for the installation and configuration of client software. This means that the most tedious and repetitive tasks that used to be done by hand and could easily be susceptible to error can now be performed with little or no intervention and in half the time. Thus, human resources can be allocated to, for example, testing of the final result, improvement and research of new solutions, etc.
What do you like most about your work?
That you can continue to train and learn almost endlessly. In our field you can choose to settle in and stay for years doing the same thing, but the fun is in observing, thinking and understanding; helping find a way to make something count, to be able to contribute and do your bit. When you see that your small contribution is part of something bigger, more complex and that at the research level or at the implemented project level it works, you feel an indescribable tingle and it is a very, very magical moment.
Who is your female role model or reference in the world of technology?
I don’t have any particular role model in technology; I admire rural women in tech in the same way, I think that whatever the profession, there are hundreds of thousands of stories that have been buried over time. I do have an interest in biographies of women who moved me at the time, like Mileva Maric and Manuela Barreiro. The former is better known for being Albert Einstein’s first partner than for her incredible mathematical genius. Whether she contributed to the Theory of Relativity or not continues to be debated today. The latter, Manuela Barreiro, was the first Galician woman to graduate from university (specifically in Pharmacy) and opened her own pharmacy “Farmacia Moderna”. She was also a fervent advocate for women to be educated and study whatever they wanted without hindrance.
What is your reading of the situation regarding women in the technological field?
That it has improved a lot, but like all changes, it won’t happen overnight. One day we may come across wonderful stories in which gender plays no role and the individual and his or her richness as an individual is simply recognised. And the next, being the only female student in a course or the only woman in a team.
Fortunately, there are many resources, be they companies, platforms or media that are increasingly advocating for breaking down the absurd barriers of gender.
What would you say to the tech workers of the future?
I would tell them that if they are clear about what they want to do, they should not question themselves, nor be influenced by fashions, prejudices, whispers, etc. That obstacles will be placed in the way? Maybe. But tenacity and perseverance are also virtues to be acquired, they will help to overcome those “bumps” and add life experience. One thing you have to be clear about is that you should never give up what you like. If not, afterwards, one regrets it and it may be too late.
