International Women’s Day – Sarah Lyons
As we approach International Women’s Day, we turn our attention to FMG’s IT Systems Delivery Team Leader, Sarah Lyons. With a dynamic nine-year journey at FMG, Sarah handles the unpredictable world of tech with tenacity and grace. Her story underscores the spirit of progress and adaptability. Sarah shares insights into her daily challenges, her motivations and the rewards of working in the rapidly evolving realm of IT.
How long have you been with FMG and how has your role evolved during this time?
Nine years this August. Actually, I started as a Forensic Administrator then became an Office Administrator before planting my feet in the IT team. I have never looked back. I did the hard yards as a System Administrator taking the opportunity to learn all I could from an incredible team of experts before securing my current role as IT Systems Delivery Team Leader.
What does a typical day or week look like for you?
A typical day for IT is not knowing what today will hold, but we will have “tickets” – each ticket is an issue/question from the greater FMG team regarding their IT needs. Somedays we field rather simple issues such as emails not working or updates that went awry and then you have the out-of-the-box days. One that will stay with me involves a Bat and a High-Power Capacitor, but that is a story for another day.
What drives you to meet challenges?
Technology changes so fast, it’s exciting and terrifying all at once, like a rollercoaster. I am always keen to learn new ways of applying and growing with these changes and embracing the new technology. It’s also in these moments that the whole team comes together to tackle the challenges and support each other.
What excites you about your job – or about working in general?
I make a positive impact in someone’s day. Cliché I know. But in IT we deal with people in their worst moments, something is not working (usually at the wrong time) and we are able to get them sorted and make the day just a little better. That is a rewarding moment.
I must admit, I also enjoy testing our cyber security and new technology when it comes our way.
Who inspires you and why?
Katherine Johnson. Katherine overcame segregation and gender bias while earning her place as one of the most famous “human computers” to run the numbers, by hand, for John Glen’s 1962 orbital mission. She showed up! and when NASA started to use mechanical computers, she was still able to match it.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced on your path to success, and how did you overcome them?
Learning not to panic when things don’t go the right way, and things seldomly go the way you think they will, in IT. This has taken me a few years, but now I just breath and work one step at a time. Things always work out.
