When Arus Hakobyan was a child, she spent countless hours racing against the clock to compete against her twin brother, Arman.

“I loved racing against him – seeing who could do the puzzle fast, this part better,” said Arus, who has been with MindForge for two years. “Figuring out the best way to do things was always something I loved.”

Now in her role as Mobile Application Developer, Arus puts that passion and skillset to use in a different way – by helping to improve the user experience for all MindForge clients.

“My main duties are to develop or improve upon features to ensure that we are offering the best product  to our users,” she said. “Sometimes it’s as simple as fixing a bug, and sometimes it’s taking a look at the product from the client perspective to see if this is the best way we can offer a feature.”

That commitment to excellence – and ongoing continuous improvement – is what she enjoys most about her job, said Arus.

“I love working at MindForge because of the clear communication,” she said. “It’s a regular conversation: ‘How can we do better?’ The leadership makes sure we all understand the same goals and objectives, that are built on trust and respect. There’s regular evaluation and feedback, and a culture where we push ourselves to keep growing and improving.”

As a female engineer in a male dominated field, Arus said her time in the industry hasn’t always been without challenges – which is why she is committed to helping others succeed. 

“I’ve been at three different companies since graduating,” she said. “And it’s not unusual that  I’m the only, or one of the only, female engineers on the team. Sometimes you have to confront stereotypes – especially around the fact that people don’t expect women to be in this field.”

How she handles that is to focus on her executing her duties with excellence.

There’s regular evaluation and feedback, and a culture where we push ourselves to keep growing and improving.

“This is my passion,” Arus said, who dreams of going to London and Scotland one day. “I love what I do, and breaking those stereotypes. When people see that I do quality work, it helps break down barriers, and build bridges for other women.  

International Women in Engineering Day is celebrated on June 23 every year around the world, to honor women in the field of engineering., Arus has the following advice, for women seeing to break into the field:

“Don’t hesitate to seek opportunities for yourself to shine,” she said. “Volunteer. Raise your hand to take on more responsibilities. And don’t be afraid. If you have a passion or knowledge, believe in yourself. Be confident. Everyday, work to be the best version of yourself.”