How to Get That Promotion You’ve Been Eyeing, From a Woman in Tech Who Did in Less Than a Year

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Photo Courtesy of Alkami.

Photo Courtesy of Alkami.

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Not everyone’s career path is easily definable, but for those in junior or associate positions, a promotion could mean graduating to a more senior role with more (exciting) responsibilities. Formerly an Associate IT Support Technician, Samaria Taylor recently accepted a promotion that allowed her to step out of her entry-level duties into a more advanced position in less than a year of working at Alkami Technology.

So, how did she do it? “I don’t know if there is any one thing that led to my promotion,” she said. “I think being willing to learn is an admirable trait that will really propel you into new roles and opportunities.”


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Learning is valued especially highly at Alkami, a digital banking solutions company that offers a leadership development program and continuous learning opportunities through Alkami University.

We recently spoke to Taylor about her promotion and love of learning, as well as her advice for other women who want to excel in the IT industry. Check out what she had to say below.

Tell us a little about your previous role, before you were promoted. What were your responsibilities then vs. now?

Before being promoted, I was an Associate IT Support Technician performing mainly entry-level tasks that consisted of mostly business-as-usual duties (setting up laptops, accounts, password resets, etc.) My new role as a non-entry level technician includes a lot more training of my peers, implementing and documenting new processes for the help desk and just overall serving in a role that assists my colleagues with learning our environment here at Alkami. 

How long have you been in your new role, and what about it excites you most?

I have been in my new role for a little over a week and love all of the new opportunities and responsibilities that I have. Training and interacting with new people is truly something that I am passionate about.

What, specifically, helped lead to this promotion? Can you identify anything you said or did that earmarked you as someone ready for advancement?

I don’t know if there is any one thing that led to my promotion, but I do think that my consistent desire to provide excellent customer service as much as possible was noticed by many Alkamists. I was new to this industry and I pretty much hit the ground running when I first started, which really seemingly propelled me to learn as much as possible and interact with a vast amount of people on a daily basis. 

What advice do you have to others in your industry who want to take their career path to the next level?

I would just tell them to continue to work hard everyday and to remain coachable. I think being willing to learn is an admirable trait that will really propel you into new roles and opportunities.

What’s the first (and/or last) thing you do at work every day? 

The very first thing that I do daily when I get to work is check in with my peers that arrive before me and offer any assistance that they may need. The last thing I do on a daily basis is clean up my tickets and SLAs and check in with my peers again to answer any last minute questions that they have. 

What’s something you think most people (perhaps even current employees) don’t know about your company that you think they should? 

I think many people are unaware of how well Alkami takes care of their employees. I have never felt as comfortable and appreciated as I do here.

What’s your favorite career mistake that you’ve made?

I have definitely made my fair share of mistakes in my role here at Alkami, but I am really still in the infancy of my career as I am just approaching my one-year mark in the IT industry. 

What’s the most memorable piece of career advice you’ve received?

My mentor told me something right before I interviewed for this job here at Alkami that has really stuck with me. She told me to always advocate for myself and to never let the fear of being denied stop me from going for new opportunities.

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