When Ilana Davidi Reeves walked into the computer science placement test at the start of college and she was the only woman, she walked out and found a new major. But tech-related internships at ESPN and an early internet company kept her interest piqued and on the second day of her first consulting job out of college, she found herself in their Java lab and kept programming and technology front and center in her career.

Seemingly against the odds, she exceled in software engineering as one of the only women in the field. She had to deal not only with the volatility of the industry but also the discrimination there during the 2009 recession and later when she needed to juggle it all with motherhood. The struggles and the support she found from her network at that time, however, would prove to be beneficial when she found the odds stacked against her in other ways in her personal life later on.

In this episode, find out from Ilana how sticking through the hard things can set you up for success and a sense of gratitude later…on today's Roads Taken, with me, Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode’s Guest

Ilana Davidi Reeves is a software engineering and architecture leader with 25 years of experiences across diverse industries, who currently serves as Engineering Lead, Fulfillment at Square. She has managed, mentored, and directed local, off-shore, and near-shore teams including the new wave of women in the space. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and their two boys. (252)

For another story about being an outlier in your industry and leading through it, listen to our episode with Tim Chow.

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

Against the Odds: Ilana Davidi Reeves on being the odd one in the room and the resilience it breeds

Roads Taken