👋 Hello!
Today’s topic comes from something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately → how much the people around us shape who we become.
When I look back at my career, one truth stands out clearly: the teams I joined made all the difference.
Throughout my journey in tech, I’ve often said I was lucky.
Lucky to have worked with people who empowered me rather than questioned me.
Who made space for my voice in rooms where it could’ve easily been overlooked.
When I look back, that kind of environment shaped not just my career, but my confidence as an engineer.
I know not every woman in tech shares this story. Many have had to fight to be heard, to be promoted, or even just to be taken seriously.
That’s why I feel the need to share a different side, one where good leadership, empathy, and respect created a space for growth.
Because while talent matters, the team you join matters even more.
The Unseen Influence of the Team You Choose
Early in your career, it’s easy to get drawn to companies with exciting projects, modern stacks, or big names.
But what truly defines your growth is the environment you step into, the people who surround you, the tone they set, and how they react when you make mistakes.
A healthy team builds you up quietly.
A toxic one chips away at your confidence without you even noticing.
I’ve learned that the difference between growing fast and burning out often lies in the people you work with.
The best teams don’t just teach you technical skills, they teach you how to think, how to communicate, and how to believe in yourself when impostor syndrome whispers in your ear.
What Empowerment Looks Like
Empowerment isn’t always loud.
It’s rarely about big speeches or initiatives.
It’s the senior developer who takes time to review your code and explains why something matters.
It’s the manager who trusts you to lead a project for the first time and stands behind you when things don’t go perfectly.
It’s being seen, heard, and valued, not because you’re a “woman in tech,” but because you’re good at what you do.
These moments build you in ways that no book or course can.
And when you experience that kind of empowerment, you start to recognize it, and later, you learn how to give it to others.
Don’t Be Afraid to Leave
Sometimes, leaving a bad environment is the most empowering decision you can make.
It’s not failure. It’s not giving up.
It’s choosing yourself.
We often stay longer than we should, hoping things will improve, telling ourselves it’s just a phase, or fearing that leaving will look bad on our résumé.
But staying in a place that constantly drains your energy or questions your worth will only slow your growth.
A healthy team challenges you.
A toxic team changes you, and not in the right way.
Walking away can be the saving piece of your career, the point where you reclaim your confidence and start rebuilding your love for what you do.
A Note to Every Girl Starting Out
If you’re just beginning your journey, remember this:
The company name on your CV might open some doors, but the team you work with will define who you become and trust me, that’s more important!
Look beyond the surface.
Notice how people communicate in meetings.
See how they treat mistakes, how they give feedback, how they celebrate wins and whose wins they celebrate.
Find a place where you feel encouraged to grow, where questions are welcomed, and where your ideas don’t need to fight for space.
Your career will grow in the soil you choose to plant it in.
And when you find people who empower you, stay, learn, and one day, be that person for someone else.
Of course, not everyone has the same access to healthy environments. Sometimes you walk into a culture that hides its flaws well or you need to stay for reasons beyond your control.
That’s why it matters even more for those of us who’ve experienced empowering spaces to help create more of them.
✨ Takeaway
Luck alone doesn’t build a career, awareness does.
As women in tech, we don’t just need to break barriers, we need to build bridges.
Choose the places that lift you up. Leave the ones that hold you down. And wherever you go next, be the kind of person who creates the environment someone else will be grateful to have found.
Until next time,
Stefania
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Articles from the ✨ Frontend Shorts collection: https://stefsdevnotes.substack.com/t/frontendshorts
👋 Get in touch
Feel free to reach out to me, here, on Substack or on LinkedIn.