As the Vice President of IT at F5 Networks, Jamila Conley is a fantastic example of a successful women thriving in her career, and loving it!
Working for a company that specializes in delivering technology for web applications, Jamila is excited about her work and the challenges it offers her stating, "We make apps go faster, smarter, safer - and we're trying to reach every app, everywhere!" she says. "I handle a lot of our transformational complex projects that come up and I really like problem-solving. I like to go into something that's ambiguous and figure out how we work our way through this to be successful."
Wth 23 employees under her wings at F5, Jamila is proud to be part of a company that truly encourages collaboration and supports its employees to achieve their goals.
"It's fast-paced, very innovative - we're always trying to adjust to market shifts," she explains. "It's exciting, but our culture is a great one, it's very collaborative. It's a lot of fun! We have Beer Fridays, so that really brings the culture together. We work hard and we play hard."
The start of an exciting tech career
With inspiration from her family in Buffalo, New York and full support and encouragement - Jamila is well aware that the seeds of her interest in technology were planted early on in life.
"My dad, he worked for Bethlehem Steel Company, Bethlehem Steel on the East Coast for 35 years," says Conley. "He was never late a day in his life - anybody knows me I hate being late. My mom, she really instilled the fact that I could be whatever I wanted to be. I was six or seven-years-old, and she told me 'Sky is the limit, the word can't is not in your vocabulary.' I really still to this day always just remind myself if I put my mind to it I can do it and I do live by that and I don't think there's a problem too big that I can't solve with the right resources with the right people coming together to solve the problem."
Setting an example
Now in a leadership role, Jamila is conscious that she is now considered a role model for women looking to expand their idea of what a career can be.
"Being a black woman, being in leadership - it's extremely important to have those role models to my life both with my mom, [and] I've had teachers in my past that really supported me and really helped me reach my potential," she said. "I'm always trying to reach my potential and I also have mentors in my life - the people that I can go to just to bounce things off of, and be that trusted advisor I guess. I don't look at myself as an icon I guess - it's true and I want to give back from my experiences in anyway possible."
Katherine Clouse, Director of internal Communications cannot agree more stating, "I think it's really important to have someone like Jamila here at F5 for two reasons," said Katherine Clouse, Director of internal Communications."One, she's a woman of color in a dominantly homogeneous industry. The second reason is Jamila is a collaborative partner across business - a voice of reason and power and I enjoy working with her."
Accepting challenges to progress
"Accept challenges that come your way, don't back down from a challenge," said Conley. "You have what's inside of you to figure it out, to take a risk on yourself. If you want something in your career, go after it, because we only have one life you know. To be a little cliche, it's not a dress rehearsal. So if you want it, take the risk on yourself."
Fantastic opportunities for talented women at F5
With opportunities at all career stages including internships, graduate roles and experienced hires, and executive positions - check out what exciting job vacancies are currently open with F5.
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.