Hi!
I am early in my career and looking for some advice. My dream is to become a CTO eventually. What advice do you have for pursuing a career in tech, especially as a woman who wants to be in leadership?
Early in your career, focus on being the best technical performer you can be; then focus on helping your team be the best technical performers they can collectively be. Be useful and take risks in accepting, or seeking, stretch assignments, while also being honest about your capabilities and experience. There's a point where you need to be deliberate and consider the politics of the situations you're in, and expand your network and sphere of influence/contribution, but a strong foundation as a technical expert who can elevate her teams to solve hard problems will earn you the reputation you'll need when you get to that point. I guess I'd add that if you're in positions where you are consistently not taken seriously or you don't think you're getting any deserved credit, you should find other roles/teams who see your contributions. (Disclaimer: I'm not a CTO)
Thank you for your response. This is really good advice!