“As a programmer, you are never done learning and it never becomes boring!”

– Nothing happens by itself, we must make an effort to even out the gender gap in the computer industry. One way to do this is to highlight female role models, says Emma Johnsson.

– You don't have to be 23 years old and have sat in the basement playing Call of Duty throughout your childhood. You just need to be curious and persistent, and new doors will open for you, says Emma Johnsson.

She is enrolled in the Bachelor Programme in Software Development at Kristianstad University and has just completed a project working on interactive houses. A fun and tangible challenge that suits her great.

For an outsider, it may be slightly unexpected that Emma Johnsson would go into computer science.

– Well... I wasn't exactly the kind of person who knew what I wanted to be when I grew up back in primary school.

Instead, she has done things her own way. Eight years in England resulted in, among other things, hairdresser training, which then led on to office work at an adult educational association. A few years ago she decided to change course and focus on education. But with a large family and a farm in the country, her latest choice was not self-evident.

– I had to look into which programmes were offered around here.
I could have chosen gastronomy or graphic design. Nevertheless, the Bachelor Programme in Software Development became my first choice.

– I have always been fairly good with computers, and in my previous office job, I was often the person who fixed other colleagues' IT problems. I understand how to work things out, and I also enjoy the social aspect. It is important for me to be part of a team where you work alongside other people.

Being a woman in a male-dominated industry

For a 36-year-old mother of three, going back to school might not be the obvious choice.

– I thought I would stand out, but several others in the class are in their thirties and are about to start a family. So there is a certain understanding when I need to be home with poorly children.

However, she notes that the gender balance is skewed. There are only a handful of girls in the class. Emma Johnsson emphasises your expertise is not tied to your gender, but rather linked to ingrained habits.

– Some guys may also have a certain advantage if they've been part of the computer gaming world. This is a common gateway to IT studies. This ends up unintentionally making the industry male-dominated.

In the beginning, she feared that the male domination would lead to a certain jargon, her fears turned out to be unfounded, both during the studies and the summer job at Sony Mobile.

– I was relieved and happy. I was just treated as a programmer. It doesn't matter if you are a woman or not.

Large parts of the training were conducted in project form, with participants having had to solve concrete problems in groups. The latest challenge has been to design smart living, where everything from locks and lamps to fan systems can be controlled remotely using a mobile device.

– I am responsible for the protocol, which shows how the various components communicate with each other.

Programming is not just numbers

Sometimes she and her fellow students have been faced with problems that seem to be absolutely impossible to solve.

– You end up having to break down the larger problem into smaller chunks, to find the solution hidden inside! And programming isn't just about ones and zeros these days, the programming languages are more people-oriented and easy to understand.

Her new skills have also come in handy at home. For example, she has developed an app that keeps track of the sheep at home on the farm, recording data such as carcass weight and wool quality. Moving forward, she wants to develop a "stable app" to allow different people to keep track of the admission, release and feeding of the horses.

She has had wholehearted support from home.

– My husband views my studies as an investment for the family. He also does not have a single technical molecule in his body, so he thinks that I'm a genius, even when just installing a new router at home.

– Combining studies and parenthood required planning – but nothing is impossible, provided you have self-discipline and an ability to tackle unforeseen events as they appear, says Emma Johnsson.

One such event happened after studying for some time, when she found out that she was pregnant. She ended up falling behind in her studies and had to study twice as hard to catch up after giving birth. She expects to complete her degree in June 2020. By then, she also hopes to have had time to supplement her skills with an additional programming language and a course in web design.

Even though she now has her foot in the door at Sony Mobile, she aims to work at a smaller company with shorter distances between the various locations.

– But of course, I have time to think about it. I believe that the right possibilities will fall into your lap, as long as you are open to them. As a programmer, you are never done learning. You must always stay on your toes, ready to learn new things. It can be both frustrating, difficult and exciting. At least it will never be boring.