Inspiring Women: Fátima Blancas

Meet Fátima Blancas—a brilliant Mexican woman, founder and CEO of iTProve, who won the Microsoft MVP award two years in a row in the Office Apps & Services.

Continuing with our initiative to interview outstanding women in technology, #WomenInpiringPeople, this time we will meet Fátima Blancas. She is a brilliant Mexican woman, winner of the Microsoft MVP award for two years in a row in the Office Apps & Services category and is also the founder and CEO of iTProve corporation. She created the Office 365 Academia Community focused on MS Teams Education.

Meet Fátima Blancas

Fátima started at the age of 13 in the world of technology. In the high school where she studied, there was a computer with MS-DOS. She loved reading and learning the commands, and from there all her love for tech began!

For the last several years, Fátima has been a consultant on Microsoft Technology, from SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint Online, Office 365 and Microsoft Teams.

She loves to talk about technology and education, and has been invited as a guest speaker at several international technology conferences.

Fátima is a super woman who believes that sharing our knowledge makes this world a better place to live. 💚

In this interview, Fatima shares with us some important tips that could work for you, who are reading this post, to continue being successful!

Fátima, tell us a phrase that describes you as a professional.

“We must create opportunities both for ourselves and for others.”

Define what technology is for you in a word.

“Impulse”

Tell us some curious information about yourself that you want to share with us.

In my first job, as a systems intern in a telecommunications company, I arrived with a lot of enthusiasm but the mentality of waiting for instructions from my boss. Due to the little initiative I showed, I was dismissed from the company. With a lump in my throat, I listened to these words, “Fátima, you must learn to be more proactive.” Those words have always accompanied me in many ways and have motivated me to continue reaching my goals.

In your tech career, what has been your biggest challenge? Could you share with us a bit?

Without a doubt, the biggest challenge has been managing my time. Early in my career, I spent a little time exploring and learning more. Like many, I had downtime during the day when I wasn’t productive, breaking the paradigm and realizing that the extra time I spent studying made a difference in me and helped me make bigger and bigger leaps, and has made me achieve many of my goals.

What learning did that challenge leave you?

Being behind a desk does not make you productive, so organize your time and you will surely be able to do many more things than you imagine and that will gradually open up new opportunities for you.

What would you recommend to a person who is undecided whether or not to start a career in STEM?

There is a wide variety in the field of technology—you will surely find one area that you are passionate about. Oh! Learn English. It is not just a saying from your school teacher—doing it will give a huge turn to your career.

Give us a tip for people who are currently working in STEM.

Organize your agenda, share your knowledge with others and don’t forget to take care of your body.

What advice would you give to a person who wants to have a successful profile like yours?

When you start something, that goal will seem distant and difficult. Don’t give up. Surely your mind will tell you many times that there is no point in continuing—don’t listen to it, and move on. And always put important activities on your agenda, so you won’t let them pass you by.

Finally, I would like you to give some advice to readers on how you organize your time, especially when you have large projects and with a high profile like yours.

At the beginning and end of each week, take notes of your commitments and goals in an agenda. If it can be electronic, this is better. Use the repetitive task feature when possible. Never forget to spend time with your family. And, without a doubt, take Platzi’s Effective Time Management course.

Wrapping Up

Did you like the interview? You can follow Fátima on LinkedIn.

Don’t forget these great tips from Fátima. I hope you enjoyed and are inspired by this interview! See you in the next article! 💚💕