WomenIAM: Jaconette de Kock’s Inspirational Journey in Tech and Cybersecurity

As a woman in tech, Jaconette’s experience has not been without challenges. “In the beginning, I was doing desktop support, and many of the clients were surprised to see a woman walk in to fix their computers. It was difficult at times, but it taught me resilience,” she shares.

Jaconette had frequent encounters of being stereotyped the "admin lady" or the "tea lady" in her early career—roles that were typically assigned to women in the office setting. "I’m a technical person, and yet people would expect me to do admin tasks simply because I was a woman,” she explains. “I remember refusing to make tea for visitors because I wasn’t there to serve them, I was there to solve problems."

Her motivation to persevere came from her mother, Nanette’s, determination when she herself worked in a male-dominated field. “My mum was my first role model,” Jaconette reflects. “She was the department head for research in the Defence Force, and I admired her immensely.”

The prejudice continued when she went on to dye her hair blonde. “There are a lot of jokes about blondes being dumb in the South African Afrikaans culture, and I faced that prejudice head-on. People would assume I wasn’t technically proficient just because of my hair colour,” she shares.

Despite the initial scepticism from others, Jaconette’s expertise soon spoke for itself, often reminding her of something her long-time mentor Christa Smith used to say - ‘’She always used to say to me the proof is in eating the pudding, meaning you can think what you want about me, but in the end, I’m going to prove to you that I know what I’m doing.’’

When asked what she would say to inspire other women experiencing similar prejudices, Jaconette spoke candidly about overcoming self-doubt, a theme many women can relate to and what is often called imposter syndrome. “I’ve had men tell me that women don’t have logic, and that we can’t thrive in technical fields, because with technical work you have to have logic’’ she says. Yet she would echo to others what her mother would say to her - ‘’don’t let other people tell you what you can and can’t do.’’

Now, as an experienced cybersecurity professional, and having very much proved she has the logic and intellect, Jaconette is paving the way for more women to enter and thrive in the tech industry.

When asked what changes Jaconette would like to see in the tech industry to support gender equality, Jaconette answered ‘’Actually my biggest wish is that we can all just be appointed on our merit and not because of gender. That what you achieve is because you worked for it and not because you’re a woman or a man.’’

As Jaconette approaches 53, she speaks with openness about another challenge that rears its head—ageism. In an industry that thrives on youth and constant change, there’s the worry that age might work against you. "I sometimes feel this fear of people thinking you’re too old to do the technical stuff. People may question how I can know as much as someone younger who’s just finished their studies," she admits.

However, Jaconette pushes through the self-doubt by focusing on the immense value that experience brings to the table. “It’s all about continuous learning and adapting. I am confident in my approach to learning and with my extensive experience in this industry, I understand the value of hands-on expertise,” she says confidently.

Her advice to women in tech who may be facing similar concerns about age? “Don’t let age define you. Embrace the learning process and never stop evolving. Whether you’re 25 or 55, there’s always something new to learn in tech.”