In our series to celebrate Women’s History month, this week we will get to know a bit more about our Web Developer, Juliana Katz. Juliana is from Brazil and she brings many ideas to the table. With an interesting background, she fits like a glove in our ever-evolving team of professionals.
How did you get to the position you have today? Can you share your professional story?
I went to school for Media Communications with an emphasis in Advertising & Marketing, so it was a lot of theory, reading, and writing. However, I saw so many more opportunities for designers in the job market so I started to learn design. After I learned enough to do my homework, my classmates started asking me to do their graphics homework, too. That’s when I figured I would not be jobless after graduating because what I was learning was in demand. After graduating I got a job at an ad agency as a Junior Art Director. After that, I was offered a job with a company I interned with two years before. That was a great opportunity to get a 360-degree overview of digital marketing. It was a “learn-as-you-go” experience. While there, one of the projects I was in charge of was project managing the rebuild of the company’s new website that a third party was doing. That was a big challenge in many ways, but I learned a lot about web development, user experience, cybersecurity and the tech industry. After that, I felt confident enough to start building websites by myself. I produced many freelance sites before I had a portfolio good enough to apply for jobs as a web developer. In 2015, I switched from the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and I got a full-time job as a Web Developer in there before coming to Florida.
How hard or easy was it to get in the job market when you started?
Not too hard. To me, going to college was so crucial in my career because of the network of people and relationships that I built there. All my internships and jobs I attained was because someone was working at a company that needed someone with the skill set I possessed.
Was working in the Advertising and Marketing industry always on your radar?
I always knew I was going to do something related to business, and after taking a gap year after high school I decided that I wanted to work in the advertising industry and make commercials for the Super Bowl.
What are some characteristics of a great leader in your perspective?
From all the people that I worked for, empathy is by far the greatest quality my leaders could have. It’s so nice when the person you work for understands your strengths and weaknesses. The work flows easier.
Any life lessons that you learned in your career that you believe helped you to make it where you are today?
In my past experiences, I learned a lot from working in companies of different sizes and in different countries. And now I have the mindset “to always hope but never expect anything from anybody” and to make learning a way of living. Being self-taught and a go-getter is what has determined in where I am today.
Do you believe in the power of diversity?
We as human beings tend to like “the comfort zone.” But I have learned that I needed to be comfortable with the uncomfortable to do a great job. As soon as we start exploring other perspectives, we can see the existence of a whole other world of opportunities out there, and I think it’s interesting that we can explore and come up with unexpected ideas.
Do you think that the women in leadership make any difference in your organization?
Women that work here have many challenges every day. If it wasn’t for them nothing would run as smooth as it is. They are the knots that tie together this whole ship we are sailing on.
In this fast-paced market, people are always trying to do things better, faster and smarter. Can you share how you made a project more efficient and less expensive?
Managing all the websites we host with just one software is a time saver. In addition, I introduced a product called FullStory that is a tool that captures insights that help in our software development.
What’s your superpower?
Having the ability to be a central brainer is really nice. What I mean by that is that using the left side of the brain and the right side at the same time is part of my job. I can be in the creative flow of making a killer website design with lots of subjectivity and jump to a technical bug and function the same way.
Any advice for entrepreneurs or businesses that want to partner with Strategic Marketing?
It doesn’t matter if your brand is big or small. Your business is going to be taken care of the same way. And be patient because it takes time to make excellent things.
How does your career background contribute to your work at Strategic Marketing today?
The experiences I had along my career gave me the right mindset to be more mindful of my work and to know very quickly what is going to work and what will not. I believe in Malcolm Gladwell’s advice that takes you 10,000 hours to become good at something. That’s why I am always learning.
How would you describe your working style?
I am a team player. It took me some time to develop this skill, but everything I learned along the way was worth it. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t work on my own when I have to.
Any company run or founded by women that you would like to have as a client?
I listen to a lot of podcasts in my commute to work and one of these days I was listening to “How I built this” by NPR when I learned about how the cycling studio SoulCycle was founded. It would be interesting to work with Julie Rice. She is awesome.