15 Oct Women and blockchain—A Powerful Mix
Welcome to our series highlighting the incredible women smashing glass ceilings and combating the stereotype of the cryptocurrency industry. Similar to pioneers such as Ada Lovelace, the ENIAC programmers, Evelyn Boyd Granville, and Annie Easley, women are leading a number of innovations in tech, including right here at Bitfinex! Our first interview is with a member of our Customer Support team, who discusses how working with Bitfinex as a contractor offers an opportunity to live her dream life and achieve the work/life balance we all aspire to, without sacrificing career growth. Let’s find out more about her journey.
What did you do before joining Bitfinex?
Immediately before joining Bitfinex, I had just returned from working in the Swiss Alps for the winter. Previously, I worked in a few different startups, including one of my own! I actually had an ecommerce website selling light up shoes for adults. I did that for about 3 years, selling shoes across festivals and building an online brand. It was a lot of fun.
Tell us about how you entered the Crypto space and what attracted you to the industry.
I joined Bitfinex in 2018 when the hype was building up before the winter. I remember discussing crypto with my friends who were investing and I wanted to learn more about it. I had first discovered crypto in 2011 when the price of BTC was only $50. I remember then (as a student) thinking that I didn’t want to spend $50 on something I couldn’t hold in my hand. Seeing how crypto had grown since that point, I was really attracted by the potential it had to disrupt the finance industry. I wanted to be part of the revolution.
What is your role at Bitfinex? Tell us more about your daily routine at Bitfinex.
I work in the Market Operations team in Customer Support. I have a really varied role which changes on a daily basis according to the projects I have running. I normally start my day going through the team messages, writing my ‘To Do’ and organising the day ahead. On any day, I could be testing the platform for bugs, working with customers on trading issues, training team members, writing articles or assisting the Marketing team. It’s always changing! I make sure to take a good 2hr break in the day for some exercise. It’s especially important when we’re working from home (and I’m slightly competitive about our company fitness challenges!).
Tell us more about what you enjoy about working at Bitfinex.
I really enjoy working for a dispersed remote-only company. Not only does this give me an enviable work-life balance, but it means my colleagues come from an amazing array of different cultures and backgrounds. We have KYC calls (Know Your Colleague) which has given me the opportunity of meeting people outside my team and all over the world. I also know that I have someone to meet up with in many countries if I ever want to visit.
Which suggestion would you give to other women looking to start a career in Crypto and/or Technology?
Don’t be intimidated by the technology of cryptocurrency – you don’t need to have a tech background to get started. It’s a really welcoming space with so much potential and there’s always learning on the job. A bit of research and a lot of enthusiasm goes a long way as it’s growing and developing all the time.
Thank you for your time, this has been incredibly insightful! It’s true that having a tech background is non-essential to getting started as long as you have the right attitude and work ethic. It’s great that Bitfinex offers you flexibility and variety in what you’re able to work on.
If you think a career at Bitfinex might be for you, you can check our current job openings at https://bitfinex.recruitee.com/