“[We were] changing the world one Mac at a time. Always a thread of pushing the envelope.” This is how Marie* described how it was to work at Apple in the early days. She loved the excitement of knowing she was making a difference and being part of something that was changing the world.

Marie did have challenges working with men. “There were managers that made serious attempts when hiring to not look at gender. I saw this happening more as time when on.” However, she noted, “there were more subtle versions of discrimination.” For example, “we noticed [in meetings], one man in particular would cut the women in the room out of the conversation.”

But this didn’t happen with all men and Marie knew she was well respected for her work. She won awards and was a sought after speaker at conferences. And she has over 21 patents to her name.

Marie worked in the tech industry, at several companies, for over 25 years. “Playing with new technology was always fun.” But she did decide to leave to pursue a career in art. “There came a point where I felt like my creativity was dying. That I had hit my limit in that place and time. That’s when I begin dreaming of leaving tech to follow a life-long desire to work as an artist.” When she told her manager she was leaving, he was upset. “He said I was one of the key employees in the company. [But] I needed to do what I needed to do. I felt appreciated. I felt I was part of something.”

When asked if she would recommend a career in tech to young women Marie said, “I would. I’d also likely give them advice about how to be both powerful and to do it as a woman – something I had to learn. Women in tech who are truly successful are those who stay true to who they are as women.”

* Note: The names of the women are changed  to protect their privacy.