We are super excited to present to you another wonderful woman making a difference in the Technology Industry: Jasmin Penther, Data Center Facility Technician, Google Finland

Already as a teenager, I have been interested in the technical field. After I graduated from high school, I took a gap year to try out different fields of engineering through internships in the wind power industry and medical technology. Those internships were a great experience and led me to study electrical engineering in Germany. After 2,5 years, I moved to Finland to study for a double degree in energy technology and electrical engineering. As part of my studies, I completed the internship and thesis at the Google Data Center in Hamina. In January 2019, I started my role as a Data Center Facility Technician in the same Data Center.

My role as a Data Center Facility Technician covers a wide range of tasks/skills from troubleshooting and maintenance to project work. Personally, I love the mix of hands-on work and project management, which gives me the possibility to learn processes and systems from different angles. If you know how to maintain and troubleshoot the equipment, you can manage projects more efficiently and get better results. The challenge for me is to be part of a team of senior techs. It provides a great learning experience, but it also shows that I still have a lot to learn to get there.

For me, the trend of more sustainable technology is the most interesting one. Especially here in Finland, the tech industry takes big steps forward, for example, in recycling and finding alternatives to the fossil fuel-based solutions we are used to. Finland provides great opportunities for young engineers to work with the latest and biggest challenges in technology.

I stay updated on new technologies by reading different magazines (I don’t really have specific ones which I follow, more or less what falls into my hands) and browse through the blogs of companies I am interested in or read in forums of specific fields.

When I started working as a Data Center Facility Technician at the Google Data Center, I was not only interested in the technical aspects of the work. Quite soon, I developed a big interest and passion in work around inclusion and team building. At the beginning of 2020, I started my studies in business psychology to learn more about the psychology of the human, also inside the workplace, combined with how businesses work outside the technical field. These studies will support me in having a bigger impact on the team building in my workplace. My goal is to make people feel included and be part of our great team. Additionally, the studies will open doors towards higher positions, like for example, Facility Management.

To attract a more diverse group of women to work in the tech industry, companies should offer possibilities, like internships or open door days, already to students from middle school.

In middle school, I dedicated four weeks to look into different companies. I could see the first time all the different possibilities you have in a company of varying fields. It was an excellent opportunity for me to see where I could be interested in. In my opinion, companies should always have open doors to students, especially from middle and high school, and then take them by the hand and show all areas which the company has to offer. This would increase the interest in the tech industry a lot and could guide more young women towards a technical degree for example. Here in Finland, there could be an increase in young women choosing the technical field for the vocational college degree.

Do internships in different industries before your studies to find your own interests and fields you enjoy working in. Be brave and open to possibilities and challenges.

Personally, I repeated one class in high school due to some bad grades, took a gap year and still got a great job in one of the biggest and best tech companies there are. Don’t think that you are not good enough and rather be self-confident about yourself, because the companies out there need different people with different backgrounds.

A semester or internship abroad can show you how tech is done in other countries.

Jasmin Penther Data Center Facility Technician | Google Finland