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    Women in tech: Mariana Shama, Java Developer

    Welcome to our "Women in tech" blog series, celebrating the powerful women on our teams who drive innovation in the tech industry. In this space, we’ll dive deep into an array of topics, featuring the inspiring stories of our remarkable women. We will showcase their biggest achievements, the challenges they face, their interests and the unique skills that make them invaluable to us.

    Today, we are delighted to introduce you to Mariana Shama - Java Developer at Nortal Ukraine. Read on to find out what she shared with us about her career path, challenges and excitements at the workplace. 


    Hi Mariana! Please tell us about yourself.

    I’m Mariana Shama, a Java Developer with five years of experience, primarily in product companies. Nortal is my first experience in outstaffing.

    Outside of work, I perform stand-up comedy, mainly in Europe, and am a resident of the Czech Standup Cherry club. Since the full-scale invasion, I’ve performed about 40 shows and our club raised more than 3 million UAH (more than 71 000 EUR) for Ukrainian volunteers.

    I’m also passionate about mentoring. Over the past year, I’ve participated in different mentorship programs focused on supporting women in IT: with "Be" ("Будь") and "Vona Tech Community" (formerly "Women who code"). During the third wave of "Vona Tech Community" I was both a mentor and the backend track coordinator.

    Additionally, I’ve spoken at IT events, including one on improving team communication, and I often moderate panel discussions. I am also a member of two Java communities – Leetcoders and Codeus. Recently, I hosted a webinar for the latter on how to prepare for job interviews.

    What inspired you to pursue a career in IT?

    Before IT, I was a photographer for stand-up events. After some life changes, I decided to learn programming and enrolled in courses.

    Getting my first IT job was challenging. I sent out my CV about 180 times, landed a role, but the project shut down three months later. My second job was at an Ukrainian start-up, but I was laid off due to the pandemic. These experiences taught me resilience and eliminated my fear of interviews.

    Now, I help others navigate similar challenges, like overcoming fear, presenting experience effectively and managing impostor syndrome.

    My journey into IT wasn’t easy – it involved multiple job searches within six months. But I’ve always been curious about problem-solving and math, and I chose Java because of supportive friends in the field.

    Tell us more about your journey at Nortal.

    I joined Nortal in May 2024 after being contacted by a recruiter about an exciting project at Nortal. The team is fully dedicated to a client that specializes in providing digital systems for vehicle titles, lien records, and registration in the United States.

    The project I was recruited for focuses on DMV processes like vehicle re-registration and digitization. During the hiring process, it was emphasized that this project would be complex – and they weren’t wrong!

    What challenges have you faced in your role, and how have you overcome them?

    After three months, I was reassigned to a different sub-team and project area, still within the same client’s dedicated team at Nortal. Switching focus early on was tough. However, the situation was handled well and I got the confidence I can rely on both on Nortals’ and their client’s support.

    I advise my mentees to ask questions and speak up, especially during onboarding. It’s better to clarify things early on. Reviewing others’ pull requests (PRs) has also been invaluable – it helps you understand the system better and observe different coding styles.

    Also, last year, I organized an online Java event and another one on Web3. The latter wasn’t directly related to my expertise, but diving into the topic helped me challenge and overcome some of my own biases. The more you learn, the more open-minded you become – about technologies and people alike.
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    What are some of your greatest accomplishments at Nortal?

    In December, I organised an online Java event for Vona Tech Community that Nortal sponsored. I love connecting people from different communities - it’s always rewarding to see great collaborations emerge.

    Another achievement was successfully navigating the challenging interview process for my current role. The technical tasks required significant effort and persistence. Finally, I’m proud of learning a new technology that I now use in my work and plan to explore further.

    You’re part of Vona Tech Community. Can you tell us more about it?

    Vona Tech Community is a nonprofit organization supporting women in tech, now in its 8th year. One of its key initiatives is a free mentorship program, which has completed seven waves. I’ve been both a mentor and a backend track coordinator.

    The program pairs mentors and mentees for three months. Success stories include career growth, landing first jobs or transitioning to new roles.

    What are some of the most significant achievements of your community so far?

    During the 7th wave of the mentorship program, where I coordinated the backend track, we achieved the following:

    • 15 tracks offered
    • 147 mentees participated
    • 41 mentors shared their knowledge, experience and inspiration
    • 55 mentor-mentee pairs were formed, with 64% successfully completing the program
    • 100% of mentees who provided feedback confirmed they achieved their goals

    How do you balance your many hats as a developer, comedian and mentor?

    I’m often asked about this, and I say that I’m not sure if I manage it perfectly. Here are a few recommendations from me personally:

    • Reducing household tasks (we order cleaning, have a dishwasher at home and sometimes use food delivery) saves time.
    • I keep everything in my calendar, even meetings with friends.
    • My psychologist helps too, because I need to figure out what I enjoy, what inspires me and what drains my energy. It turns out that if I remove things and people that take my energy away, I have much more of it.
    • Again, I don’t do everything at once. For example, I write stand-up material and jot down jokes when they come to mind in my notes. The same goes for post ideas.
    • If I feel I need more time, I take a break from one of my activities.

    What advice would you give to women considering a career in IT?

    Don’t be afraid to try – if it doesn’t suit you, you can always change paths. Make sure it’s something you enjoy and not just a trendy choice. Remember, everyone makes mistakes, and it’s okay not to know everything. Many people feel they’re not good enough when starting, but learning is a process, and you’ll get there.

    What trends in tech excite you most?

    I’m excited about microservices, message brokers and asynchronous communication. AI is another area I find fascinating. While it can simplify monotonous tasks and enhance a developer’s workflow, I don’t think it will replace us entirely.
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