Mums in Tech – feat. Sam Waugh

As a special edition of our ongoing series of interviews that shines a light on incredible working mums within tech, we are featuring mothers that have trained through Code First Girls.

This is our chat with Sam Waugh, Software Engineer at Deloitte.

The purpose of our 'MotherBoard’ content series is to highlight incredible working mums within tech & data, as well as individuals and businesses that are supportive and progressive within their approach to creating more inclusive tech & data teams for women.

Sophie @ MotherBoard: Can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your current role?

Sam: I’m Sam, I’m a software engineer at Deloitte, working in our Tax Ventures team developing tech-enabled solutions for the increasingly complex regulatory tax environment.

I joined the engineering team in January 2023 after 10 years as a private client tax advisor. I was extremely lucky to be able to transfer roles internally at Deloitte on returning from my 2nd maternity leave, which says a huge amount about the opportunities available at Deloitte and their dedication to supporting women in tech with action.

Sophie @ MotherBoard: Please can you tell us about why you decided to career switch into (/ or embark on a career in) tech?

Sam: I was progressing well in my tax advisor role, however, I struggled to picture myself doing it for the next 30 years - I’m a bit of a people pleaser and so I hated constantly having to tell people how much tax they owed!

I had a real desire to do something creative and build something I could be proud of - this at one point led me to consider cheese making as an option and I tried a course – but my daughter’s milk allergy put a swift stop to that one! Coding gives me the satisfaction of creating something and making it work! It’s been fantastic to be able to work on tax products as my prior technical knowledge still comes in handy, and I also have a good insight into how the tax teams will use it.

Sophie @ MotherBoard: Why did you choose a Code First Girls course?

Sam: I had my 1st child just before the pandemic hit and during maternity leave we took the plunge and moved from London to my hometown in Northern Ireland to be closer to family and the sea. I then started looking for some courses to dip my toe into tech, and while there’s plenty available I wanted something interactive that would give me some accountability to actually complete the course.

I stumbled across Code First Girls and signed up for their SQL career changer course as I thought data was probably a good area to consider! As it was delivered online it meant I could finish work and pick my daughter up from nursery before logging on - which was a total game changer. The course was aimed at the right level and practical, and I loved that it worked towards a project we presented during the last class - mine was analysing birth data and I presented it 1 week before my son was born!

While on maternity leave I also did the CFG Python course which really gave me a taste for coding! It really helped that the instructors were so supportive and engaging!

Sophie @ MotherBoard: How did you manage the juggle of studying whilst being a mum?

Sam: Having completed the CFG career changer courses, I then applied for a place on a Master’s in Software Development at Queens University Belfast and got a part-time funded place for the 1st year. Similar to the CFG courses this is taught online in the evenings, so I could still do the nursery pick-up and dinner. Then my husband would bring my son to me for breastfeeding while I was studying before he did the bedtime routine.

The juggle can be tough but I’m very privileged to have a supportive husband willing to do his share (and more when exams were coming up!). Deloitte had also allowed me to switch to a 4-day week which means I have an extra day to study and do all the life admin that’s a struggle with young kids in tow.

Sophie @ MotherBoard: How do you manage the balance between parenthood and your career?

Sam: Deloitte supporting me to work remotely in my new role has made a huge difference to me - it means I can do a full day’s work and still pick my kids up at 5 pm. It’s still tough and studying on the evenings and weekends on top of a new job and often having been up with the kids during the night certainly isn’t without challenge.

I have of course taken a step back in my promotion timeline, but it’s well worth it to be happy and fulfilled in my career!

I would definitely encourage any mums considering getting into tech to go for it - we need more of us making ourselves heard!

Sophie @ MotherBoard: What do you think businesses can do to support mums more in the workplace?

Sam: Flexible working in all its forms is probably the number 1 thing mums need - there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ with this — for some, it might be reduced hours, working from a different location permanently or hybrid, or different working hours, so it’s about being responsive to the changes mums might need to their working time as their kids grow.

It is also offering fantastic paternity leave options for fathers (great maternity leave goes without saying!) and reducing the stigma of it being taken. Also encouraging fathers to feel able to take the time they need to do the sick days and pick-ups - not treating mum as the default parent!