The power lies in unity and community
Agate Ambulte, Advisor on IT and Smart Digital Solutions. Interviewed for Riga TechGirls by Ieva Sinke.
Agate Ambulte had been a developer for 8 years. Currently, she is working at Liepaja municipality to create a regional IT education and development strategy for Liepaja by bringing government and industry together at the round table. She is a true believer that power lies in unity and community so she started to organize meetups for IT professionals, conferences and workshops.
Ieva: Hearing all the buzz around you sound like a rock star! I’m glad to meet you. What did lead you to join the IT industry? How did it all start?
Agate: It was not planned at all. The original plan was to study Economics and Management at another university but my application was rejected for a free of charge education but I was determined to get a bachelor’s degree and decided to go for IT. I did ask friends for advice and they did not think that was a place for me but I went for it anyway, nobody was supportive neither encouraging. It was something very new to me and after my first year, I realized that this is a place for me! I am not scared of challenges and I finish what I start. After the first year I realized Yes, this is for me! and not only did I start to perform very well academically, but I also was able to participate in interesting IT projects and get scholarships. I accomplished that with hard work and determination.
After 2nd year of studies at university, I got my first job as a programmer and I loved it. I have worked in different companies from very small startups to large companies. Also, I have worked as a lecturer at my university.
By coincidence, I got a job offer at Minsk, Belarus. I worked for 2 IT companies in Belarus Hi-Tech Park — that was a great shift for my career and mindset. It was a very interesting experience and in many ways has inspired and shaped me to become the person that I am today. For a long time, I thought that getting into IT was a coincidence, but now it feels like finally, it all comes together like a puzzle. I can surely say that I have loved every step of the way into the world of programming and IT!
Ieva: What difference do you see between Minsk and Liepāja?
Agate: To my surprise, it turned out that Minsk is an IT wonderland. Belarus gets 16 000 new IT and engineering graduates every year. I was questioning what is their success story because it was neither cheap labor nor size of the city. I see their Hi-Tech Park as being one of the major success factors. I got the amazing chance to work in 2 Hi-Tech Park IT companies where I started as a developer and even got some experience managing business relationships. A bit more than a year ago when I came back to finish my Master’s thesis I realized I want to stay here and if there will not be a job for me I will create a job for myself.
The main idea was not to search for opportunities around the world, but to take matters into my own hands and create new opportunities for me and others right here in Liepaja.
Ieva: As you are a part of the municipality. How do you see technology development in the government sector?
Agate: Technologies are changing and developing very rapidly and I think that governments see that. Dialogue is happening between industry and municipality — I see this very vividly in Liepaja municipality. We are working on new ways to cooperate and educate.
Ieva: What are the strengths and weaknesses of making your dreams come true in your beautiful hometown Liepāja?
Agate: I have been doing my research on different cities that have rapidly and successfully developed many technological aspects. I think that the goal for Liepaja shouldn’t be becoming the next Silicon Valley with 3 million people. One of our greatest strengths is our beautiful environment and quality of life. I see Liepaja as a perfect city for professionals to live, work and relax in. Everything is almost 10 minutes distance and you do not have to waste your time in traffic jams. It is a family-friendly town. We have an airport, not many places can offer that.
I want to inspire and encourage people around me. I am a believer that there is no failure, only experience. Greatest lessons come from defeat, not victories, so there is no way you can fail!
Ieva: Inclusiveness and diversity are huge discussions these days. What is your experience related to these subjects?
Agate: From my experience, diverse teams are very good for IT projects. Also more and more IT professionals opt for working remotely. I believe that teams can become your second family and that is the best feeling. At universities and most IT companies definitely, there is no gender balance. I’m seeing a slow but positive change. There where classes and companies were I was the only girl in a room but that didn’t stop me.
Ieva: The more and more people start paying attention not only to their physical bodies. How do you look after yourself?
Agate: I love sports since forever. Exercising in part of my daily routine and I am also adding meditation to that. I try to limit the impact of blue light on my eyes as much as possible by switching to yellow light. I strongly believe that you have to take great care of your mind and body to be productive at work.
Ieva: How come that you are organizing meetups and workshops? I hear your event “IT Waffle Meetup” just celebrated your first year. Congrats!
Agate: Yes, we have grown from IT professionals networking event into a great IT community! I decided to start organizing meetups for IT professionals in Liepaja because there were none at the time when I came back from Minsk. While I was in Minsk they were very popular and happening almost every evening! Just name a programming language or technology and there was a meetup for that. I see meetups as a great place to bring everyone together and network, a great place for inspiration. From a small group, we have evolved up to 300 members and that is lovely to witness how the community is uniting, growing and becoming self-explanatory. Feels like a seed is planted.
Ieva: I hear that new branch of Riga TechGirls opening soon! What motivates you to join a community like this?
Agate: When I and 2 other girls from Liepaja were approached by Riga TechGirls it felt like a natural step to unite and create Liepaja TechGirls. I love the synergy, strength, and positivity in the community. The demand for employees in IT is only growing so I do my best to reach everyone I can and I believe that communication and unity will be the key factors for more people to see IT as a possible path in life.
Ieva: What is next for you?
Agate: Liepaja is a truly wonderful place for professionals. I have big plans for IT in Liepaja. My main motivation and support come from the amazing IT community in Liepaja which includes IT professionals, IT enterprises and IT enthusiasts and of course the support from the municipality. I even created a whole initiative for IT education and development which is based on 3 things — education, community, and opportunities.
To get the feel of what’s coming, I can tell you about the nearest plans — on September 23 in “Great Amber” concert hall Liepaja municipality together with LIAA and Google (yes, that Google) is organising “IT day in Liepaja” which was created to inspire young people to see how they can be a part of the IT world. Inspirational talks from amazing and driven people from Google, AirBoard, TestDevLab, Accenture, Sense Media, European Commission, and others. There will be also showcased from companies that are interested in supporting IT and education, few of them — Emergn, Blue Shock Race, TestDevLab, Accenture and many others. Also, there will be a knowledge exchange session for Liepaja education specialists from Google education project manager and others. I’m excited about this event since it inspires, educates, creates opportunities and brings the community closer.
If we are talking about long term commitments, then I can mention that we are working closely with municipality, IT companies, and the educational field to ensure high quality IT education.
Launch of Liepaja TechGirls couldn’t come at a better timing. The activity and support from girls that I have been seeing are amazing.
Honestly, we would need a few more interviews to cover everything that is planned for IT development in Liepaja so let’s stop here. Thank you for the interview and your time! It was an absolute pleasure to meet you and an honor to get interviewed by the amazing Riga TechGirls!
