Perseverance Amidst Adversity: Reflections on World Refugee Day

My name is Sevda BAGCI KARATAS . For World Refugee Day, I am using the Sistech LinkedIn account to tell my story. I worked as a magistrate at the Council of State and Administrative Court for 10 years in Turkey. Alongside my work, I went to the United States to complete my master's degree in law in 2014. After the 2016 coup in Turkey, I worked as a business consultant for a British company. Since 2020, I've been living in France with my family.

Moving to another country is always difficult. Moving as a refugee is even harder. It's like being born for the second time. This time, you maybe have a partner, children, or family with you. Obstacles arrive at every turn; learning the language of the country where you are seeking asylum, adapting to a new culture, making friends, ensuring equivalence for your diplomas, and so on. The hardest thing for me has been finding a job. After a 10-year career as a judge and two years as a business consultant, I decided to redirect my career towards tech, an interest of mine since childhood. I followed training courses, completed internships and obtained an ISTQB certification. I am confident in my analytical skills and technical knowledge to succeed. Despite my skills, I still struggle to find a job.

It deeply touched me - I felt like a student graduating with the support of her classmates and teachers.

However, I have not been alone in my job search process. I am now continuing my journey as a member of the Sistech family. Sistech is a European non-profit organization founded in 2017 by Joséphine Goube . The fellowship of which I am taking part uses three successive programmes to accelerate the inclusion of refugee women in tech and digital jobs: Pathway → Springboard → Boost. I completed the Boost programme, which provides mentoring and networking for participants to increase their?professional contacts and understand their?local tech and digital job market. They also help us to create?critical job search tools, such as a CV, a LinkedIn profile, and more.

My journey started with the interviews I had with Valentine Jacob-Xaé , Le?la Dossat , and finally with Larissa Amour . All of them stick with us throughout the programme, and I still stay in contact with them since finishing. They addressed every question I had; a supportive, guiding, and wonderfully organized team was by my side. Later, my volunteer mentor Lucie Chopard and my volunteer tandem Ghislaine Humbert joined my journey. Together, we engaged in many activities, from writing CVs and cover letters, to preparing for interviews and pitches. We formed such a beautiful bond that when Ghislaine couldn't attend a networking night in person, she watched my speech at home with her family on a live stream. It deeply touched me - I felt like a student graduating with the support of her classmates and teachers. I should also mention Joseph B. who, although not working directly with the Fellows, played an important role behind the scenes as a communications officer. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to each of them for their sincere support.

Because of the difficulties we have experience in our lives, we understand perseverance.

On #WorldRefugeeDay, I'd like to issue a reminder. Although training courses and certifications are valuable, true mastery of a trade comes from hands-on experience, learning through mistakes, and making necessary corrections. I urge you to give refugee and immigrant women a chance to showcase their talents. Because of the difficulties we have experience in our lives, we understand perseverance. We are looking to make a place for ourselves in our profession fields to obtain and maintain economic freedom. Together, we can build a more inclusive and diverse workforce that benefits everyone, but we need your trust to start.

This year, the lives of 24 women in France have changed for the better thanks to Sistech. Our class of 24 Fellows has gained self-confidence by learning more about our new roles, boosted our morale, and connected with HR professionals who valued our past experiences.