Building a Career in Responsible Tech. Meet Ali Feldhausen, Director of Tekalo and Career Development for All Tech Is Human
Did you know that despite many of the ongoing interventions to support more diversity in Computer Science (CS) a lower percentage of women are graduating with CS degrees today than they were in 1985? The statistics are not better when looking across race and/or intersectionality with only 4.4% of software engineers identifying as black, a slight decline from 5% in 2010.
These central challenges are what started me off in my Public Interest Tech (PIT) career, not necessarily as a technologist, but rather as someone who thinks across systems about how to build more just, equitable talent pipelines to these types of careers.
To create these access points, one must first define PIT. I love the way that Saima Akhtar, Senior Associate Director of the Vagelos Computational Science Center at Barnard College describes it by detailing how technology is an infrastructure, which can have inequities built into it just as it can in the physical world. Through this lens, the architect of these structures, the ways they understand the world, and their focus on what is and is not an important point becomes integral to this infrastructure’s design. As our world becomes increasingly digitized, the number of architects, the types of educational systems that graduate these architects, and the access points to these careers come under increasing scrutiny. This is especially important as it becomes obvious that there is both not enough talent in the workforce and clear barriers to entry that span race, gender, and class.
This is where my work understanding these pathways and building new ones begins. My current career path in tech workforce had no clear starting point, but my background as a researcher in gender, equity, and labor policy led me into finding my way to tech education for a french-based startup during the pandemic. And on the other side, I was able to build on that work landing at the Tech Talent Pipeline, New York City’s Tech-Industry partnership in the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development. This role eventually led me to All Tech Is Human, where I am able to lend my experience thinking strategically in New York City to thinking globally about careers in Responsible Tech.
I say this all to emphasize that most folks in the PIT space have a circuitous career and have accumulated, over time, very specific and, also, generalizable knowledge that makes them well suited for their current role. To end on a bit of advice for folks interested in the PIT space:
Keep learning, always. If you have tech skills already, it’s helpful to acquire more subject matter knowledge in areas you may find interesting (climate, urban planning, transportation, etc.). If you come from more of a social sciences/liberal arts background, think about what technical skills might be useful to have (data analytics, GIS/ArcGIS, basic programming). If you are looking for a good place to start, check out ATIH’s recent reading guide.
Talk with as many people as possible about what they do and what you would like to do in the PIT space. I have always found that surrounding myself with people much smarter than me is a great way to keep learning and growing. Additionally, chances are in PIT that there is someone out there looking for your precise skill set and venn diagram of knowledge who has just not found you yet. Putting your ask into the world increases your chances of finding that unicorn role.
For early career folks, do not stress about the perfect role, look for the role in the right direction. Your first full-time position out of school may not be exactly what you want, but it’s all about creating buildable skills and expertise. Also, be patient with the process and kind to yourself!
What is your motivation for being involved in the field of Public Interest Technology?
I really enjoy supporting people and helping them grow. If you click the “Show all experiences” drop down in my Linkedin, you’ll see that I actually started my career in teaching.
Before even my Linkedin history began, my first job in college was as a tennis instructor teaching elementary school aged children in the hot, hot Arizona summer. I remember one student who at the beginning of the summer could absolutely not come close to hitting the ball, even if you tossed it directly to her racquet. Despite the fact that her shoes actually melted to the court at one point (I kid you not), by the end of the summer, she could make contact and hit a great groundstroke.
This may be a little far off field from Public Interest Technology and a little too niche for the non-tennis fans, but I get that same feeling helping someone make it to that next level in their career that I got from helping that student get better at tennis. I really value helping folks achieve success whether that be switching to a new job that better fulfills them or landing that first position in Tech that starts their career.
What has been the biggest help in your own career journey?
I have always been lucky to be surrounded by smart, good people, so I am constantly learning from the folks around me. There is always an infinite amount of information that you can absorb and skills you can grow, and being around people who help you focus on the right information and who you can lean on when you don’t know about something is so invaluable.
What brings you the most joy in your work?
I really love seeing people succeed in landing their first role in Responsible Tech. I feel like we have all been there trying to get our foot in the door in a career that we care about, and that first job is especially difficult. It makes me really happy to hear when folks are able to land their first, insurance-providing position, and are on their path toward building a fulfilling career.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
A career is what happens in retrospect. Anyone who has talked to me about careers has heard me say this. I think it’s pretty common, especially in the Responsible Tech space, to feel like your career path has been a bit frenetic or that you hopped around a lot, but often, that’s precisely what makes you a great candidate. Over time, you’ve built a really specific set of skills and knowledge that make you just the right fit for just the right role.
My sister shared this piece of advice with me early in my career and then promptly forgot that she said it. But I think about it a lot, and I have found it to be very true for myself and many folks working in this space.
What is one thing most people are surprised to learn about you?
I mentioned this earlier in my answers, so a close reader won’t necessarily be surprised. But most folks don’t know that I am actually pretty good at tennis (4.0/4.5 for the folks who know!). My dad teaches tennis and my parents both met playing tennis, so my siblings and I all joke that we were basically playing before we were born. If you look up “Feldhausen and Tennis” you will see a bunch of stats about my siblings and their tennis career, since they were both state champs. As a result, I am also pretty good at ping pong, if anyone’s ever interested.
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Did you know that Ali is also an artist?! Check out some drawings she has done depicting scenes from riding the NYC subway
Stay in touch with Ali through All Tech Is Human’s Slack or by sending her an email
10 Ways to Get Involved with All Tech Is Human related to Public Interest Technology:
Join our Public Interest Technology working group | We currently have six open working groups that are helping curate essential information for the community and inform upcoming reports.
Participate in our mentorship program! Our recent cohort has 16 PIT mentors and 42 PIT mentees (new cohort starting in early 2025).
Join our large Slack community of over 9k member across 95 countries. We have a Public Interest Technology channel along with a channel for university students
Read our Public Interest Technology knowledge hub and reach out to some of the individuals and organizations you read about! Many of these organizations and individuals can be found in our working groups, on our Slack, attending and speaking at our gatherings, being mentors in our mentorship program, posting roles on our Responsible Tech Job Board, and more.
Check out our Responsible Tech Job Board and search for Public Interest Technology roles! You can easily sort our job board by field (pick Public Interest Technology), region, experience level, and more.
Are you a technologist wanting to work in the social impact space?! Check out Tekalo, a free matchmaking service that All Tech Is Human is involved with alongside US Digital Response, Fast Forward, and Schmidt Futures. And join our Responsible Tech Talent Pool, where we freely assist individuals with potential matches and have a significant amount of individuals focused on Public Interest Technology.
Read our Responsible Tech Guide and be on the lookout for our upcoming Responsible Tech Org List 2024. Both of these free resources include an overview of the ecosystem, profile interviews with public interest technologists (and more), and curated resources from numerous Public Interest Technology organizations.
Are you a university student, professor, or admin? Join our growing Responsible Tech University Network. We have plans for 100 ATIH-affiliated student clubs by the end of 2025.
Attend an in-person gathering and meet others that are involved with Public Interest Technology!
Attend a livestream! We have numerous livestreams at All Tech Is Human for our growing global audience. All Tech Is Human has a weekly livestream that happens every Thursday at 1pm ET.
About All Tech Is Human
All Tech Is Human is a non-profit committed to building the world’s largest multistakeholder, multidisciplinary network in Responsible Tech. This allows us to tackle wicked tech & society issues while moving at the speed of tech, leverage the collective intelligence of the community, and diversify the traditional tech pipeline. Together, we work to solve tech & society’s thorniest issues.
See our latest report about growing the Responsible Tech ecosystem