From Defying Parents’ Dreams to Fighting Financial Crime

 A Woman’s Unwelcome Journey Through Tech’s Boys’ Club

No one ever told me I couldn’t, so I did. Even if they had told me I couldn’t, I’d show them!

You know what’s funny? My parents had such different plans for me. Dad was adamant — it was doctor or lawyer, nothing else would do. Mom thought secretarial skills were my ticket to success. But life had other ideas.

It all started with a Casio computer that ran on cassette tapes, if you can believe it! I was absolutely fascinated. While other kids were playing with toys, I was taking apart electronics just to see how they worked. Put them back together too — most of the time!

At 14, I started waiting tables at this Greek restaurant — quite the place, actually, with some pretty famous locals coming through. But the real turning point came when I started working at Iron Mountain after leaving home at 16. That’s where my love affair with computers really took off.

I discovered I had this knack for solving tech problems. It started with basic troubleshooting, then moved on to building systems, and eventually fell into programming. Started with BASIC programming back in the ’80s — remember those days? Though honestly, what really grabbed me wasn’t just the coding, but understanding how hardware and software worked together. It was like solving a puzzle where both pieces had to fit perfectly.

The industry wasn’t exactly welcoming to women back then. I can’t tell you how many times I got hung up on over the phone or had to deal with people who couldn’t believe a woman knew anything about computers. But you know what? Their computers weren’t going to fix themselves! Eventually, they had to work with me, and that’s when things started changing.

I decided to start my own tech reseller business at a time when nobody was doing on-site repairs. Think about it — people had to lug their entire computer to a shop! Word spread pretty quickly once people realized I’d come to them. I worked with all sorts of industries: medical, veterinary, music, construction, you name it.

As technology evolved, so did I. Business evolved into what we now call GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance), more cybersecurity, I learned forensics. After 30 years of running my own show, one of my long-term clients, a financial institution, made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

This led to a whole new chapter. I put in the work, showed my knowledge and acumen which led me to be certified in financial crimes and anti-money laundering. Unfortunately, the bank got bought out after five years, but you know what? It opened up new doors. Now I’m doing consultation work, fighting scammers, and helping with GRC and financial crimes.

The best part? Some of my clients have become lifelong friends. After all these years, I still get excited about what each new day might bring — who I’ll meet, who I can help, and how many more people I can make smile. Isn’t it amazing how life works out sometimes?