Conexio Talent Series: Ema Marotta

In today's episode of the Conexio Talent Series, we’ll meet Ema, one of our QA Testers and a breath of fresh air any team would benefit from.

Being born in a relatively small city but moving to Montevideo to work and study, Ema brings a new perspective to Computer Sciences, one that’s filled with her tendency to try new and different things.

On top of working with our team, Ema is an avid football player currently enrolled in two teams, but she’s also a curious cook and does ceramics recreationally.

With such a variety of backgrounds, her creativity has been a valuable asset to our team.

Get to know Ema's journey.

• As a kid, what did you want to do when you grew up?

As I grew up, I wanted to be many things: I have always loved playing sports from an early age, so being a Physical Education teacher was at the top of my mind. Then I met Pilar, my history teacher from high school. She had a way of teaching history that made me think about becoming one. Until I started getting interested in technology, and here we are now :) with a degree in computer systems.

• Tell us about your career story.

I have a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and started my career as a QA intern when I was in my 2 years of college. I thought it could be a great experience to put all the knowledge that I had learned so far into practice, and it was for sure worth it. It made me realize that I didn't see myself as a developer.

After the internship ended, I continued to work in that company for the next 4 years until I decided to pursue new challenges, and that's where Conexio came into the picture.

• You were raised in Mercedes, a small city in Uruguay. What was it like to move to Montevideo to study and work? What do you miss the most from Mercedes?

Moving from a 40.000 people city to a 1.500.000 one can be a bit challenging; I was not used to how fast things were here, the number of buses that drive through Montevideo, the people, and the "big city" noise. But I had my brother and sister to help me get around, making things easier.

I guess that what I miss the most is getting anywhere in less than 5 minutes and drinking mate in the promenade, one of the best in Uruguay.

• What is the best thing about the place where you live?

The activities that Montevideo has to offer, you will always have something to do.

• You have a variety of interests. You are a passionate soccer fan and player; you also like ceramics and cooking. How were you first introduced to these interests, and how do you balance such varied activities with your work life?

I love playing sports in general. Growing up, I swam, played tennis and basketball, and played soccer with my cousins and brother on the streets after school or on the weekends. Definitely, that's where my soccer passion comes from.

Then, after moving to Montevideo and having to cook for myself for the first time, I realized that I really enjoyed it. I will not confirm nor deny that during the pandemic, I went through the sourdough bread phase ??

And recently, I took on ceramics since it helps me relax and express myself.

To be honest, it is not hard at all to balance all these activities; having a flexible work schedule allows me to do all that and even hit the gym a couple of days a week.

• What's something that surprised you about your career path?

Oddly, it was exactly as I expected; somehow, I knew I would end up in a place like this, doing what I enjoy the most.

• How do you describe what you do to your family and friends for a living?

'I work with computers' was usually my go-to phrase, but lately, since technology is becoming more relevant, people are becoming more aware of the concepts, and it gets easier to explain.

• Marketing trends and customers' needs move so fast. In your opinion, what's the most interesting or most exciting trend happening right now?

The integration between QA automation tools with AI and ML has been around for a couple of years now, and it could be a game-changer.

• What advice do you have for someone starting their career?

Relay on the community, everyone has been through that, and you will always find an answer, don't try to reinvent the wheel.

• What have been your main challenges working as a QA Tester?

Being able to achieve the goals while not compromising the quality when dealing with tight deadlines.

• It's known that your career is mainly dominated by men. How do you feel to be one of the women who are being part of this change and are now working in this area? Also, how did you adapt to this during your studies and now in your work environment?

When I first started college, I had no idea about the tech industry gender gap. It feels special for sure to be part of this change and to see everyone around me also involved in overturning the situation and encouraging more girls into pursuing a career in tech.

• What would you be if you could pick up a new skill instantly?

Ability to play any musical instrument, and probably sing as well ??

• Favorites

Singer: P!nk

Food: hard to say, probably milanesa or chivito

Book: not much of a reader, the latest one that I read was 'Open' Andre Agassi's autobiography book.

IG account: emamarotta

• The most interesting internet discovery you made recently.

YouTube uploads 72 hours of video every single minute, insane.

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Our Conexio Talent Series is a space to share more about our talented team, get to know their skills and interests, explore their career path, and overall, hear their story. At Conexio, we love bringing the smarts and the heart to everything we do. If you’re interested in discovering new career opportunities, learn more about our open positions.