Sara Hassan

General Info

The Top Three Things I Would Like to Learn or Experience During my Mentorship

1. Design and architecture of large-scale distributed systems over web
2. Successful project management practices for software projects involving cross functional teams
3. Startups in educational technology

Ideal Company Type

I would really love to work in a big, product-based company that is making huge social impact. My experience has been in business-driven development, and I have worked on the biggest retail and leasing projects in my country, but I truly find the social media industry fascinating and want to experience it, as this industry is not prevalent in my country yet. I would like diverse, younger culture and an open environment where people like to experiment with ideas and are flexible to move fast and evolve quickly. I would like to work where I can experience learning opportunities as well as challenges.

Additional Technical Skills

NET Framework 4.6 with WPF, WCF and WF in Visual Studio 2015; LINQ, XAML; MVC and MVVM patterns; MS SQL Server 2014 and Oracle; SVN, Git and TFS; ReSharper; Jira; SSRS and Telerik reporting

What impact will your mentorship have on your career and professional path?

This experience is going to be invaluable, as my professional goals are going to help me tremendously in the coming years. I would like to focus on project management and software architectural design in my mentorship as I know the experience in these areas will help me reach leadership positions in the near future. Also, I will be able to take the bold step to transform my ideas in educational technology into profit-making solutions. The experience and meeting so many accomplished ladies will overall improve my mentoring and leadership skills.

What will be your most valuable contribution to your TechWomen host company?

I have studied in the leading university in Pakistan and I am currently working in biggest tech company and biggest software project in Pakistan, so I am a smart programmer and computer scientist. I am a quick learner, I like taking on challenges, and I will be able to contribute to development work as well as other activities at my host company. I would bring new ideas and perspectives based on my current experience and contribute positively. I will also share insights about rising tech and startup culture in my region and the numerous opportunities that it offers.

After participating in the TechWomen program, how will you leverage your mentorship experience to make an impact in your home country?

I am a strong advocate of women embracing technology and becoming an active member of the tech workforce, so this experience would help me reach out to women in my community in a better way. I will share my knowledge and experience at universities and workplaces to inspire women to choose STEM fields and to continue to work and succeed in these fields. We can create a similar network within my community which would help us in identifying why women do not join the workforce or leave the tech workforce mid-career.

Work History

Years of Full-time Work Experience

6

Primary Professional Focus

• Managing technical employees
• Overseeing the delivery of technology products
• Software

Education History

Highest Level of Education Completed

Master's