SOUTHFIELD – Diva Tech Talk interviewed Heidi Slade, Senior Analyst, Business & Design, and Professional Scrum Master at Tyler Technologies, headquartered in Plano, Texas. Tyler Tech is a leading provider of end-to-end information management solutions and services for local governments. Eight times on the Forbes list of America’s Best Small Companies, Tyler partners with clients to empower efficiency in the public sector, serving cities, counties, schools and other government entities.
Heidi is a great example of a woman entering the field of technology through an unconventional path. “I didn’t grow up with computers, at all,” she says. Getting her first “real” computer in college, Heidi originally majored in fine arts at the University of North Texas. She switched majors, midstream, to get her B.A. in literature since she considered that more marketable in terms of her future mission.
What are her tips for achieving career momentum? Heidi advises other women to be courageous; to never consider their gender or lack of experience as a factor in their success. “I walked in and said I know I can do this,” she says. “I reallydidn’t know how to but I learned along the way. “ She also credits her ability to speak in front of large crowds as a door opener to experiences she might not have, otherwise, had.
Heidi recommends that young women pay attention to etiquette. “When your clients are people like judges, high-powered attorneys and mayors, they notice things like etiquette,” she says. Another bit of advice she offers is: “Pay attention to your audience,” in terms of dress, and how you speak. To underscore this last piece of advice, Heidi recommends Women, Work and The Art of Savoir Faire, written by the former female CEO of Veuve Cliquot – a book that inspired her along the way.
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