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The International Women’s Day 2021 Challenge

Mar 11, 2021

A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change.

As the theme from this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD2021) states, challenge brings about change. And to demonstrate the power of challenge in furthering gender equity in our world, IWD2021 invites individuals and organizations to #ChooseToChallenge in the lead up to International Women’s Day 2021 on March 8th.

We asked some of our women leaders at Equinix to share the challenges they have faced working in the technology industry, their accomplishments, and the new challenges they are taking on to further promote gender equity in their lives and workplaces. Here we meet Patricia Cole, Lead Engineer who works out of Dallas.

Patricia Cole

Equinix International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) Lead Engineer

The biggest obstacle I had working in the technology industry was learning about the new equipment, how it worked and why we needed it in a data center. I came from a generator background and never imagined that there were so many pieces of equipment that a generator supported. It was overwhelming in the beginning but I had a great team that was willing to share their knowledge. Five years later as a Lead Engineer, I am “paying it forward” by teaching new employees how the IBX systems work, the same way my colleagues mentored me.Patricia_Cole.jpg

Supporting each other at all times

One notable accomplishment for the women at Equinix in Dallas is the daily support we get from our management, colleagues and each other. Whether we are working the IBX floor, taking care of customers’ power installations or managing projects, we have what we need to take-on whatever is thrown our way. For example, during the recent weather crisis in Texas, the women who are “Consigners” made sure that those of us who needed it had food and a place to stay when they could not go home. The women that work in Dallas are very much appreciated by all our co-workers because they know we will not let them down.
 
The challenge of self-recognition

One challenge I would take on today would be to better recognize my own accomplishments and teach others how to do the same. Being able to talk about our “wins” does not come easy to many women. When we do not speak up and show confidence in our accomplishments, it gets in the way of taking the next step forward. By learning how to speak up and contribute to the knowledge and ideas we have, it demonstrates our confidence in our job. We are fortunate that our management at Equinix supports and acknowledges our accomplishments on a regular basis. In addition, the women working in our IBX facilities in Dallas support each other on a daily basis, providing encouragement, support and direction in our work.

 

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Published on Mar 11, 2021

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