Women in Technology: Meet Erica

Marissa: Tell us your story about how you got into technology.

Erica: I actually just stumbled into the technology field by accident. After moving back to the DC area, I was looking for a new career. I started in an entry level role at Dataprise and grew from there.

Marissa: Did you have any previous technology experience before coming to Dataprise?

Erica: Not at all. My major in college was Sociology. After joining Dataprise, I had the opportunity to learn different things in the field and was able to train and grow. The more I learned, the more successful I became.

Marissa: How long have you been with Dataprise?

Erica: I have been with Dataprise for 8 years. In that time, I have held positions in Account Management, Project Services, Onboarding, and now in Strategic Partnerships and Sales.

Marissa: Can you share a little bit about what it is that you do and what a typical day for you is like?

Erica: I manage the sales operations for Dataprise. This means I oversee the sales processes and optimize them to make lives easier for the Dataprise sales reps and managers, giving them more time to focus on what they do best – selling. There is no “typical day”. You can find me reviewing and making recommendations on customer contracts, managing the sales pipeline, working with strategic partners on training requirements, extracting and analyzing sales data or coming up with guidelines to make the sales process run smoother. Every day is different, and I love the variety of what I do!

Marissa: What is one piece of advice you’d give to young women looking to get into the technology field?

Erica: Don’t be afraid to be different or take risks. Just go for it. You don’t have to start off as an expert in the field. Soak up as much information as you can and grow into what you want to do. Also I think it’s important young women know that you don’t have to be technical to be successful. There are a lot of roles in the technology industry that aren’t “hands on”, but just as important.

Marissa: What do you think is the best part of being a woman in the tech industry?

Erica: I think the best part is that I get to bring a different perspective to the table. This industry is male dominated, but there are more and more women every day!

Marissa: What is it that you enjoy most about your current job at Dataprise?

Erica: Besides the people, I enjoy being able to work on things that directly impact the business. I like that the work I do enables our sales teams to be more effective and bring more revenue to the company.

Marissa: Wonderful! Thank you for your time.