Episode 10: Women in Tech member Diana Chandler discusses her path to a career in tech
Diana Chandler began her career at the University of Kentucky as a level one service desk analyst.
“Back in those days if you called the service desk, I was probably one of the agents that answered and provided support,” she said.
Now, nearly 21 years later, Chandler works with the ITS services management team managing the ServiceNow instance on the healthcare side, X matters and other processes essential to managing ITS workflows.
University of Kentucky Information Technology Services (UK ITS) recently sat down with Chandler to talk about her career in technology, Women in Tech and the importance of encouraging people to be curious about STEM careers on the latest episode of the ITS podcast TechKnow.
Looking back, Chandler can see how her intrigue led her to a career in tech.
“I’ve always been one to tinker. So, growing up, it sounds weird, but I would walk around with a screwdriver trying to figure out what’s broken, and I’d try to figure out how to fix it,” Chandler said.
This curiosity led Chandler to try and fix a toaster and to make a couple of upgrades to some of her first few cars. She also remembers the movie Hackers leaving a lasting impression.
“I hate to admit this—it sounds kind of silly—but mid 90s I stumbled across a movie called Hackers,” Chandler said. “And that just kind of got me hooked to trying to learn and know more about technology, and computers and how all that works and fits together.”
Several years ago, Chandler said she helped start the women in IT group—which eventually became Women in Tech.
“I think it’s important for school-aged girls and boys, to see us women in these roles, representation matters,” she said.
If anyone is considering a career in tech, Chandler encourages people to ask questions.
“There’s so much more to tech than a lot of the ins we might see on TV and movies,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to connect and talk to folks in a lot of these roles to learn more about them — you might learn about something you haven’t considered previously.”
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