Mums in Tech – feat. Viviane Costa
As part of our ‘Mums in Tech’ series we caught up with Viviane Costa, Platform Technical Director at Super Evil Megacorp.
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.
Amber @ MotherBoard: Can you please introduce yourself, your role, and why you feel supporting mums working within tech & data is so important?
Viviane: My name is Viviane Costa, I am originally from Brazil and have been living in London for 16 years. I graduated in Computer Science and have always worked in Tech; I have a background in backend development and have been working in the games industry for more than twelve years now. I am currently working as a Platform Technical Director at Super Evil Megacorp, solving very interesting and complex challenges with a great team that I feel privileged to work with.
“I consider myself lucky to be able to continue working in a career that I have loved for so many years and feel fulfilled having taken two extended periods of maternity leave to dedicate myself full-time to look after my children. ”
I have two amazing children, Lucas, and Olivia. My career as a woman and then a mum working in Tech has not always been easy and I had to count on the support from many people along the way. I consider myself lucky to be able to continue working in a career that I have loved for so many years and feel fulfilled having taken two extended periods of maternity leave to dedicate myself full-time to look after my children.
It’s important that we talk more about the challenges of being a mum in a not-so-diverse field and I think Tech, as many other industries, could certainly benefit from more diversity and evolve to become a more attractive option for us.
Amber @ MotherBoard: How have you managed to build a successful career, whilst also embarking on motherhood and what challenges have you faced in finding a balance?
Viviane: I think I have been privileged to work in places that normalise motherhood, and in positions that allow me to cover for the high cost of childcare in this country. I am very understanding that this is sometimes not an option or a reality for many mums.
In order to continue investing in my career, I had to count on a lot of support. As an immigrant without the family network assistance that I would have if I were in Brazil, that support comes in different ways. Having a supportive partner to share the parenthood mission is really important for me. As we both work full-time, we get some help from an after-school nanny to handle the routine with the children while we finish our working days. With time, I have learned and accepted that I cannot do it all on my own.
“Finding a balance between work and personal life is certainly tricky and I don’t expect that to be linear. It will turn to different sides at different times, but my partner and I have learned to adapt to keep things stable for our family.”
Finding a balance between work and personal life is certainly tricky and I don’t expect that to be linear. It will turn to different sides at different times, but my partner and I have learned to adapt to keep things stable for our family. I am very grateful for some amazing managers that I had who simply understand the need for flexible working hours and the moments when you just have to take time off to prioritise the wellbeing of your family.
Amber @ MotherBoard: What is the hardest moment you have had as a mum whilst at work?
Viviane: As for many people, the lockdowns during the COVID pandemic were super chaotic for us. Suddenly trying to manage a completely different routine, and trying to work with a toddler and a small child starting homeschooling was hard. Amidst all the chaos, very early on we decided that the most important thing was our mental health and that we would have to make some choices in order to preserve that. Our focus was to create opportunities for quality moments as a family, even if most days it was just a walk around our local park. My partner and I had to start working part-time to be able to juggle our needs and this certainly had an impact on our income and career.
Under more normal circumstances, it’s always a challenge whenever a child is not well, and things deviate from our routine. There is a feeling of guilt whenever the balance goes off more heavily on either side - work or personal life - but this is something I have learnt to deal with better after a few years.
Amber @ MotherBoard: What do you think businesses need to do to support mums working in tech & data better?
Viviane: I think there is so much more businesses can do to support working mums. For me, flexible working is the most important of all and there are many things that can go under that umbrella. From being able to define your working hours to changing it when needed to take your child to a doctor's appointment without being looked at differently. This needs to work for the business as well, but mums would certainly be more at ease if flexible hours were offered as standard, as if it was just another job benefit.
“ For me, flexible working is the most important of all and there are many things that can go under that umbrella.”
Super Evil Megacorp is a remote-first company and that works well for me. I am really glad I don’t spend time commuting and I feel I can use the time much better with things like exercising or a nice breakfast chat with my son instead. Those small things certainly reflect positively on my focus, energy, and productivity throughout the day.
Amber @ MotherBoard: What do you think the government needs to do to make it easier for mums to balance a career and parenting?
Viviane: Easier access to childcare should be a priority. It’s very expensive and the sector could certainly benefit from a long-term strategy and investment to make sure childcare is more easily accessible and affordable. It’s unfortunate but many mums will stop working, not by choice, forced out as it’s not financially viable to continue working after having children.
In addition, returning to work after some time away to look after children is not easy. There is probably more that can be done to support mums who are willing to go back to work once their children are a bit older, like flexible hours, job shares and part-time positions.
Amber @ MotherBoard: Do you have any final words of advice for our readers about balancing being a mum and having a successful career?
Vivaine: In my experience, most mums experience an increase in their mental load. Learning how to prioritise and manage a long list of needs and things to be done can be a superpower at work and really help with productivity.
“ Most importantly, don’t give up! It’s more about defining your own success criteria than having it all. It’s not easy juggling different demands but finding what a good balance looks like for you and your family is the very first step. Be certain of your strengths and don’t be too hard on yourself when things don’t go according to plan. ”
Most importantly, don’t give up! It’s more about defining your own success criteria than having it all. It’s not easy juggling different demands but finding what a good balance looks like for you and your family is the very first step. Be certain of your strengths and don’t be too hard on yourself when things don’t go according to plan.
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