Women in Technology: Edith Fernandez

Liquid Web’s Managed Applications chat supervisor on her upbringing in India, what led her to tech, and the way she hopes to encourage other women.

Growing up, Edith Fernandez was all the time fascinated by electronics. “Every time my family bought a brand new gadget, I read its user manual and tested it out,” she says. “My curiosity eventually led me to the tech industry.”

Fernandez was born in Kerala, India. “My family was running a business,” she says, “so most of my childhood was involved in my mom’s business. I used to be her accountant, and I used to assist her with all types of designing, beading work, and ironing. She called me a professional designer.” Since my mother was running a tailoring unit at home, the family often had many visitors, and Fernandez and her sister served tea and snacks to customers as they got here and went. “My mom was an entrepreneur, and I feel I actually have her values,” says Fernandez. “She valued customer satisfaction above the cash she made.”

It was eventually the goal of having the ability to support her mother and two sisters that led Fernandez to tech. It was not a simple path. From telemarketing jobs to door-to-door sales to working for a tourism company, she eventually found her technique to IT, enrolling in a CCNA class. “At some point, the scholar advisor announced that there was a fast-track course that might also prepare you for RedHat certifications,” she says. “Knowing nothing about it, I enrolled in the category and fell in love with Linux.” Inside a couple of months, Fernandez earned certifications for RHCSA and RHCE.

Fernandez began with Nexcess within the early 2020s when she was hired for the provisioning department. “I liked the job, but I desired to do something more, so I asked for a change,” she says. “I got the chance to get into tech support. I worked as a tech for 4 months and was promoted to my current position.”

Now at Liquid Web, Fernandez works with the Managed Applications Chat Support team. “We’re the front line of defense, so chats are our priority and first responsibility,” she says. Since chats are our customers’ first point of contact, I want to stay awake to this point about what is going on across the technological world and pass that information to the whole team to be sure they’re ahead of the sport, ensuring the most effective possible customer experience.”

As a Managed Applications Chat Support Supervisor for over 50 technicians, Fernandez leads, coaches, trains, and encourages her team. “I really like taking ownership, diving deep to search out areas of improvement throughout the department, and contributing ideas that may profit each the team and the corporate,” she says.

Fernandez loves the fast pace of the tech field and the rapidity with which change occurs. “The technology you employ today won’t function the identical way it functioned a couple of months back,” she says. “Versions keep changing or need upgrading or stop working, so you should stay current.

Of her work accomplishments, Fernandez is most happy with her work collaborating with the Nexcess leadership team. “It has shaped the best way I view leadership,” she says. “Today, I lead a chat team of over 50, and I strive to make a difference for my team each day. The Nexcess leadership team showed me how essential manager may be, especially in tough circumstances. The management team here has never stopped inspiring me.”

Fernandez is pleased to encourage other women, especially Indian women and girls. “The cultural norm in India is that life is programmed—there’s an age to graduate, age to get married, an age to have a baby, an age to have a second baby, age to send them each to high school, after which the cycle repeats itself. I never fulfilled any of those criteria,” she says, “but I feel of the Indian astronaut, Kalpana Chawla. She all the time had a dream of landing on the moon. Though her parents believed it was not an appropriate profession option for women. She made it to space, a feat achieved with exertions and dedication. Women must have that urge and get out of their comfort zone and go after their dreams meant to be conquered.”

Caring deeply about her customers has made all of the difference in Fernandez’s profession. “Success doesn’t include just degrees and certificates. With every ticket, every customer, you’ve got to think big, go searching for tactics to face out, and never compromise on delivering the correct results and serving the client higher. You need to take pride in your work.”

Her advice to women excited about pursuing a profession in tech is to create a vision of what they wish to turn into. “IT is an unlimited field. There are such a lot of areas and opportunities where women can excel,” she says. “There’s nothing that can’t be achieved. So dream about it, work towards it, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and go after what you wish.”