Meet Mikayla Moore, also known as Kay – she is based in Atlanta, Georgia where she works as a GRC Quality Assurance Analyst/Tester for a reputable aerospace Fortune 500. In addition, Kay is joining the charge in breaking Black women into STEM roles through her brand Technically.Kay (@Technically.Kay). Check out Kay’s tech journey and her brand’s story below...
Kay’s Journey to Starting her Tech Career
"... [It] is very unorthodox to say the least. Growing up, I always knew that I thought I wanted to join the medical field as a clinical laboratory technician in Anatomical Pathology and Cytogenetics. Over time, I realized that my goals were changing – especially as I worked in every area of a clinical laboratory from hematology and later, histopathology. I still felt like something was missing.
At the beginning of the shutdown, I was introduced to the world of technology via social media. I saw women sharing their stories and fascination with emerging technology – especially as the world was veering towards finding new ways to stay connected safely. While researching tech careers, I found my now mentor AP (InTechSheTrust) who guided me through my initial stage of finding my first tech role."
Kay created her brand Technically.Kay to help women who are interested in starting a career in tech. She talked about her inspiration for creating this brand below:
"You know, tech people get flack sometimes for not being creative or dreamy or any of those other buzzwords. For me, Technically Kay was born out of creative expression. I wanted people in general, but specifically women, to join me in navigating my new career and share tips/tricks that I am finding along the way."
Starting a new brand is tough…. to say the least, but according to Kay:
"The hardest part of starting my brand was building the courage to just start."
"I saw many other creators building similar brands or platforms – which made me think, ‘how will my voice make a difference?’ It is very easy to feel discouraged and intimidated, but I knew my message was important. Every day I envision what I would tell my younger self. What I would tell my younger or less experienced self is what I share via Technically Kay. Now, the most challenging part of running a personal brand is keeping up with daily content, but also remembering my audience and synching their needs with the type of content I share. I still get stumped with finding fresh ideas, but I seek out inspiration from my career, other creators, tech news, and from my audience with just a few clicks."
Where do you see the Technically.Kay brand going in the future?
"Within the next year, I know that Technically.Kay will reach so many individuals who are ready to join the tech industry. I will always encourage people to press forward in their goals and block out any destructive noise. We need just a little noise to challenge our thinking or ‘ways we do things’ but too much noise can drown out our own thoughts. Technically.Kay will continue to evolve with its audience – but my core mission is to share career tips/tricks, amplify expert insights, and create resources for women.”
"Within the next year, I know that Technically.Kay will reach so many individuals who are ready to join the tech industry."
What advice would you give to your younger self?
"Wow, that's the key question. Do we have time and a thousand more pages?
On a serious note, I would tell younger Kay that the sun will shine in the morning. Nothing worthwhile and withstanding was built in a day or hour. Lastly, find a mentor and your journey will not look like the next person’s journey.
Lastly, this is your life so vet everything and everyone who comes into it."
What advice would you give to young women?
"For all the young women – myself included, the best advice that I can share is there’s beauty in not knowing. This is something I am still learning myself and reminding myself every day. I am a strategic thinker so I always try to anticipate the next step, but sometimes when we know too much about what’s to come, fear gets a chance at us and ruins everything. So choose the unknown.”
To keep up with Kay and her tech journey follow @technically.kay on instagram