{"id":100463,"date":"2025-06-26T15:24:38","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T13:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/?p=100463"},"modified":"2025-07-07T10:16:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T08:16:08","slug":"the-first-step-is-the-hardest-and-most-of-the-fear-is-in-your-head","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/en\/the-first-step-is-the-hardest-and-most-of-the-fear-is-in-your-head\/","title":{"rendered":"The first step is the hardest, and most of the fear is in your head"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Eliza, how did your journey from Erbil bring you to Zl\u00edn?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

\u201cI was part of a university program back in Erbil that was originally linked to Ostrava University. We were supposed to do one year locally and then one year abroad. I applied and got accepted. However, due to some changes, we were transferred to Tomas Bata University in Zl\u00edn instead.<\/span><\/p>

It was only meant to be a one-year exchange. But on our second day in the Czech Republic, the COVID lockdown started. The university gave us the chance to stay and finish our degrees. I decided to stay and study full-time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Was that transition difficult for you?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

\u201cNot really. The university supported us a lot with paperwork and visas. The hardest part was financial. Since our studies were in English, we had to pay tuition. My parents thought they\u2019d be helping for two semesters, but it turned into six. I\u2019m really thankful for their support.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Was IT always your first choice?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

\u201cNo. I wanted to study chemistry and go into chemical engineering. I still find it fascinating. However, I missed the grade requirement by 0.3 percent. During a foundation year, we had some basic programming classes, and I really enjoyed them. I\u2019ve always been curious about how things work. Computers became my second choice, and now I\u2019m glad I chose them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Tell us about your role at Monet+. What do you do as a QA Engineer?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

\u201cEvery day brings something new. I focus mainly on integrating our internal applications with external systems and services. These are complex technical projects that often involve working closely with different teams and adapting to a variety of protocols and requirements.<\/span><\/p>

One of the projects I\u2019m most proud of was a full integration I handled from the very beginning to production. It was challenging but really rewarding because I got to see it through from concept to real-world use.<\/span><\/p>

Another major project involved working with a partner based in a completely different regulatory environment. The rules and expectations were very different from what we were used to, so I had to study a lot and learn everything from the ground up \u2014 from how terminals are configured to what is required at the application level. Since it was new territory for the team, there weren\u2019t any internal examples to follow. But now, thanks to that experience, I\u2019m able to help others move more efficiently through similar projects.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

You\u2019re the only woman in your QA team. What has that experience been like?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

\u201cI\u2019ve felt very supported. The team is open and friendly. I was also the first foreigner on the SmartSwitch team, so at first, there were some language and cultural differences. But everyone made me feel welcome.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Do you do things together outside of work?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

\u201cYes, especially during the summer. We\u2019ve done some bike rides and outdoor activities. Sometimes it\u2019s just QA, and other times the wider SmartSwitch or EPA division team joins. It helps us stay connected.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

What would you say to women who are thinking about IT but feel unsure?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

\u201cJust try. The first step is always the hardest, and most of the fear is in your head. There will be challenges, but that\u2019s true in any job. You\u2019ll figure it out as you go.<\/span><\/p>

For me, having Krist\u00fdna in a leadership role made a huge difference. Just seeing another woman there made the whole environment feel more welcoming.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Do you think the culture in tech is changing?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

\u201cI do. Our team is growing and becoming more open. When you have women in technical and leadership roles, it changes the atmosphere. It made a big<\/span> difference for me, and I believe it can do the same for others.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eliza, how did your journey from Erbil bring you to Zl\u00edn? \u201cI was part of a university program back in Erbil that was originally linked to Ostrava University. We were supposed to do one year locally and then one year abroad. I applied and got accepted. However, due to some changes, we were transferred to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":100457,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160,156],"tags":[],"kategorie-prispevku":[],"class_list":["post-100463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-monet-people-en","category-retail-payments-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100463"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101093,"href":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100463\/revisions\/101093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100463"},{"taxonomy":"kategorie-prispevku","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monetplus.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kategorie-prispevku?post=100463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}