Robbin Imel credits a lot of her success in the tech world to one moment with her father.
For Christmas, when she was in sixth grade, her father gave her a computer and said, "Don't waste my money." And true to the directive, Imel spent all of winter and spring learning how to program it with only a three-inch manual at her disposal.
Noting her dedication to programming, her father responded by signing Imel up for computer camp that summer. There, she could explore her passion, talk to actual instructors about programming and get a real feeling for what this industry is all about.
But when they arrived at camp, something was off. The camp didn't expect for Robbin to be a girl, and they didn't have any place for her to sleep. Instead of packing up and heading home, Imel's father demanded they find a place for her because she's not leaving.
Now, a few decades later, Imel is the director of the Walmart's retail technology team in Reston, Va.
"I did not know that this was an actual career. This was something that I did pretty much at home until my dad sent me to summer camp," Imel said. "It wasn't until I got to high school, and in the midst of doing research, I started messing with dBase III. I thought this was just something cool to do."
As a black woman in tech, Imel's journey to her top position wasn't easy. Honestly, she says she didn't even pursue a career in tech, at first, because she didn't think it was an option.
So, Imel, who is originally from Baltimore, found herself in various research jobs with different D.C. area firms. But, those firms didn't have an IT crew. If something crashed or needed repairs, they had to hire someone out — unless Imel was around.
"I ended up doing a lot of tech work for co-workers or the department and at some point, folks pointed out that was a natural job," she said. "This was during the glory of the dot-com boom and I thought, 'Maybe I could actually do this.'"
One day — as it goes for many who end up changing careers mid-way through — the lightbulb went off for Imel. Maybe tech was an career path. Maybe she could do it.
"It took a lot of encouragement and maturity on my side to realize that I could create the kind of space that I want to be in," Imel said. "I didn't need permission, I didn't need an invitation. I had been doing this work all along, and when I made the decision that this is what I wanted to do, there was no reason to code in the basement of my house."
She fine-tuned her programming skills and landed her first job. "I went and got certified fairly quickly, and then I got my first development job about 20 years ago," she said. "From there, it's just been a wild ride. The landscape changes at least every 18 months."
It took a lot of encouragement and maturity on my side to realize that I could create the kind of space that I want to be in.
One of the places where she ended up was Simplexity in Reston. Chances are, you don't know them. The wireless tech firm shutdown back in March 2014, and right after it announced that everyone was being let go without even their final paychecks, the company's tech was acquired by none other than retail giant Walmart.
Imel was brought on to head up the new division, where she's been ever since.
As the director of Walmart's East Coast retail technology team, she oversees a team of developers who are working to make it easier for retailers to go through the sales pipeline. For example, the team partners with providers like AT&T and Verizon and Sprint to make sure that it's easy for Walmart to activate their products once a sale is made to the consumer. What's the best way to merge these projects?
"Essentially we're closing the loop between our business partners and our customers," she said.
It's almost like a dev shop with the passion of any startup, Imel said.
"We were allowed to have that same sort of startup energy and passion and belief that there wasn't anything that you can’t do — while having the backing of a Fortune 500 company," she said. "It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you’re not in fear that the doors are going to close tomorrow."
Imel's story is a pretty common one for women and minorities in tech. At first you don't realize it's an option for you. Getting into the field is a bit tricky because no one expects you there. But you grow and adapt; you make a space for yourself in the ever-changing field. Imel said she likes to remind recent college grads of this whenever she gives career advice.
"You can’t sit and wait for the world to look like what you want it to be," Imel said. "I would hope that, if nothing, seeing my face in this office, seeing other people who look like me, seeing other women of color and other people from other underrepresented groups — it has an impact that your [tech company] stats don’t have."
Image used via CC BY-SA 3.0 — credit MikeMozartJeepersMedia
