The Nomade Series is all about women who have taken unconventional paths in order to live life by their own design. They have overcome the particular challenge of moving to different cities or countries in pursuit of their dreams, and they lead by example: taking risks in pursuit of what makes them feel fulfilled.
Doing what you really want to do, and going after your goals can be coupled with a lot of pressure. Many of us are told that there is only one path to success: graduate high school, go to university, get a job, pay off student loans, etc. The reality is that there are many roads to take, and success means something different to everyone. Unless you’re pursuing your own model of achievement, and making decisions based on what you believe is right for you, you’ll always wonder what could have been if you had followed your gut.
Kira Derksen is the perfect example of someone who has taken an unconventional route in life. It has led her to a completely different career path than she had originally envisioned for herself, and to the success she has had to date.
I was looking forward to interviewing Kira for the Nomade Series, and had the chance to sit down with her for yet another across-the-world chat via Skype; her in Sydney, Australia and myself in Toronto, Canada.
In her senior year of high school, Kira had internships lined up, and had applied to university with the intention of pursuing environmental engineering. She was committed to going to university directly out of high school. It wasn’t until a week before tuition was due that a travel brochure spontaneously inspired her to change course.
That decision led her to moving across the world, from Saskatoon, Canada, to Sydney, Australia (two drastically different cities) at 18 years old.
Looking back to boarding a plane en route to Australia from the tiny Saskatoon airport, she never expected that an adventure that was supposed to last a few months would lead to Sydney becoming her home base.
In fact, that initial trip wasn’t meant to be more than a vacation, but her impromptu decision to spend a few months in Sydney turned into a few years, and it completely changed her anticipated career path. Six years later, Kira is still living there, working as a frontend web developer in Sydney.
However, her move wasn’t a simple one. After a few months in Australia, Kira realised she wanted to extend her stay, but in order to get a second year added to her work and travel visa, she was required to complete three months of tough farm work in the Australian Outback.
Despite the challenges, Kira credits her initial time in Australia for steering her towards a career in the tech industry.
“Getting into tech isn’t something that I would have ever figured out on my own. But because I met so many people while traveling, and they had different jobs, they really gave me an idea of what career paths I could go down.” -Kira Derksen
While having trouble finding work as an expat, she had a lot of free time on her hands. Her partner, who is also a web developer in Sydney, suggested that she start learning to code in the meantime. After only a couple of online coding courses, she was hooked.
So, once the renewed visa was up, Kira came back to Canada to pursue her post secondary education. She spent a year living in Vancouver where she completed an intensive diploma in web development and interactive design from the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts, before finally returning to Sydney.
When asked if she has ever come across issues with gender inequality in the tech industry, Kira says that it has never been a problem for her.
“I’ve never really had any problem with gender inequality. I’ve been really lucky to work in a balanced office. My uni was mostly girls as well, in my course, which is really empowering to see.”
If working in the tech industry is something that young women are interested in, Kira emphasizes that it’s definitely worth pursuing.
“There are so many different things you can do and pathways you can take, and it opens up a lot of job opportunities. If it’s something you’re interested in, it’s definitely worth getting into. There are heaps of online courses you can do for free if you want to test it out.”
When it comes to moving abroad, Kira advises to do your research on your destination, especially when getting your visa. Companies promising to sort out visas for you aren’t necessarily worth it. Instead, she says to spend time researching in order to arrange your visa yourself, and to avoid spending money unnecessarily on travel companies that don’t pull their weight.
As for moving across the world solo, Kira says that it’s important to be comfortable spending time by yourself. When you first move abroad, it can take time to make friends, and if you’re staying in a hostel, those friends come and go.
“I think you have to be comfortable being by yourself first. I’ve known a lot of people that come here by themselves and don’t realise. It’s great for meeting people when you’re staying in hostels, but people also leave constantly. You have to be able to be by yourself, and be happy, or else you can start to get homesick.”
As for what’s next for Kira? Web development is a career that can easily take her anywhere in the world, but for now Australia will continue to be her home base. Career-wise she is currently seeking out new opportunities in the start-up world as a web developer in Sydney, and long term she sees developing a project of her own to be potentially in the cards.
To connect with Kira, visit her website here.
