Sara Brynjólfsdóttir is one of nearly 900 volunteers for Stækkaðu framtíðina. She works as a software specialist at Íslandsbanki and has so far made two visits to schools where she guided students through “hacking” into a fake bank system and stealing money.
Never Planned to Become a Programmer
Sara never intended to become a programmer and originally studied economics in high school at Menntaskólinn við Sund. “I was planning to pursue university studies related to economics and started a business degree at Reykjavík University,” she explains. She decided to add computer science as a minor to give herself a unique edge in the job market. “I ended up enjoying the computer science courses so much that I added it as a major and graduated with a double bachelor‘s degree in business and computer science.”
Sara had always believed that computer science wasn’t for her, as she had little interest in computers or video games. “I didn’t think I fit the stereotype I had of programmers.” However, her experience in computer science turned out to be completely different, and her main role models were her female friends in the program. “They kept me going,” she says.
Sara doesn’t regret adding computer science to her studies and is now very happy in her current role at Íslandsbanki, where she works as a software specialist in markets and assets management, developing features for the bank’s app and online banking. “I would definitely recommend my job, no two days are the same. It’s exciting to develop new things and watch ideas come to life.”
Girls and girly girls can become programmers too
When asked what advice she would give to kids or young people – especially girls – who want to become programmers, Sara emphasizes the importance of stepping up and not being shy. “I decided to become a volunteer for Stækkaðu framtíðina because I want to encourage more girls to study computer science and help break the stereotype of what a programmer looks like.”
As mentioned, Sara has made two visits so far. On her first visit, she met a group of 7th grade girls who were learning about programming. “It was very rewarding to meet such enthusiastic and energetic girls with bright futures ahead of them, and to give them insight into what it’s like to be a programmer at a bank. I wanted to show them that girls and girly girls can be programmers too. It’s not just those who fit the traditional stereotype that are suited to the job. The girls were curious, enjoyed the small programming project they worked on, and asked fun and engaging questions. I think this is a fantastic project, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
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