In conversation with Yana Zhezher | Women In Tech

Tech is always changing, and women are making big moves. Yana Zhezher, a Senior Data Science Consultant at Q1, shares her journey from astrophysics to data science, the ups and downs of working in tech, and why diversity matters. She also shares advice for women looking to break into the field—one small step at a time.

 

⚡️ What is your current role, and what does a typical day look like for you?

I’m a senior data scientist and data science consultant in a digital consulting firm. 

As consulting means project-based work, I don’t really have a “typical” day, as it varies lot. However, if I were to average my daily life, I’d say that as a mother of an infant my days usually start a bit too early than I’d like them to.

When my nanny arrives, I’m able to start working on whatever case I have going on. This can include a lot of staff: working on machine learning models and data analysis, preparing client materials or doing some research. During the day we’re usually pretty much all the time chat via messengers with case team colleagues discussing current tasks and issues and would have brainstorming or discussion calls if necessary.

I’m also interviewing candidates interested to join us, so most likely I’ll have at least one interview a day. Before the interviews I spend some time getting to know potential candidates better so that we have some common ground to discuss during the actual call.

Most of the time I’m working from home, but depending on the case I might also go to the office or to the client site. At the end of the day I switch to the mom duties again to have a short walk with my son and put him to sleep. That’s where we have some time together with my spouse just for us.

 

⚡️ When did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in technology, and why?

I started my career as a scientist without “data” prefix, and by pure chance I got to do machine learning in my research in astrophysics. At that point I had no idea what is data science, but I knew I loved doing ML and coding in general. For research purposes my scripts were very simple and basic, there was no need to know how to run on cloud or optimize code for real-time inference.

I was always interested how ML developers work in the industry where you need to scale and automate staff, and basically be able to write production code that consists of more than one script you run from your terminal.

Once a friend of mine mentioned such a profession called “data science”, and I’ve realized that almost me — kind of what I’m already doing in science, but now it has a name. And around that time I’ve realized I want to try to become an actual data scientist to address my curiosity about the IT world.

One day, a friend mentioned a profession called "data science", and I realized that it was exactly what I had been doing - except now, it had a name. That's when I knew I wanted to transition into tech and explore the IT world.

 

⚡️ Are there any challenges you have faced being a woman in tech?

Not personally, but working in tech I see a huge shift towards men representation, especially among manager roles. Glad to be an exception to this rule, but I’m wondering whether I’ll hit a glass ceiling myself at some point.

 

⚡️ Are there any highlights from your career that you would like to share?

With a background in physics and machine learning, I’ve built AI-powered solutions across industries—from optimizing supply chains and pricing strategies to developing GenAI tools and market intelligence platforms. My work spans from astrophysical big data analysis to real-world applications in retail, telecom, and agriculture.

 

⚡️ Is there anything women can do to get started, such as courses, conferences to attend etc?

 I personally love women tech/IT communities. It is the best support one can ever get starting in a male-dominated sector.

They provide both courses and trainings as well as career support to fellow women who are looking to pursue a career in IT. And it is simply a nice way to learn on a new topic from an understanding community, which might be very overwhelming and even frightening sometimes.

 

⚡️ What do you see for the future of Women in Tech? What steps can businesses take to be more diverse and inclusive in the industry?

I believe women are getting more and more space in tech sector, which is amazing. There are already a lot of positive shifts, but we need to keep going.

Businesses need to stop seeing women as “problematic” because they can go to maternity leave or be off couple days a month and give preference to men who don’t have such “issues”. If the female candidate can deliver at the expected level, that should be the only important criteria regardless of other roles every one of us has in life.

 

⚡️ Do you have any advice for women who aspire to pursue a career in tech?

Once I’ve learned the best advice about starting something new that I now always keep close to my heart: change is scary, unknown is frightening. If you’re starting something big, new and unexplored it’s totally ok to be in doubt. Start somewhere. You need to do a small first step to break this “circle of unknown”. Maybe watch a YouTube video about a tech career you’re interested in, read one article or solve one interview problem. Show yourself you’re capable of doing one small thing and continue going. You got it!

 

To wrap up, Yana's journey in tech proves that starting small can lead to big things. Whether it's learning new skills, tackling challenges, or building a career in a male-dominated field, she encourages women to take that first step and keep pushing forward. With the right community and mindset, there's nothing stopping you from succeeding in tech.

A big thank you to Yana for sharing her story and inspiring the next generation of women in Tech!