PROFILE: Women of colour smashing through the male-dominated IT industry

She successful runs her own design business, DP Graphics. Photo: Facebook

She successful runs her own design business, DP Graphics. Photo: Facebook

Published Sep 26, 2017

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DURBAN - Devaini Pillay, a 23 year old FNB systems analyst, is a successful entrepreneur, making major strides in the male dominated field of information technology.

Pillay hails from Clare Estate in Durban and has her Bachelor's Degree in IT at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Her first foray of success in IT was in 2016 when she participated in a Codefest competition hosted by Oracle and Innovate Durban. Devaini and her team were placed in first position for innovation and she received recognition for being the only female to be placed in a top position.

She later entered the EnterPrize challenge hosted by Innovate Durban and eThekwini where her team won for the most innovative concept, she became the only female chosen among her many male competitors.

Shortly after her move to Johannesburg, she began her journey to start her own business. Devaini credits the saying “ A wise man once said that a millionaire never got rich from having just one job” for inspiring her to become an entrepreneur.

In 2016 she started DP Graphics, a graphic designing business after being encouraged by a doctor that she used to design pamphlets for. DP Graphics helps SME’S (small and medium enterprises) with marketing their own start up businesses. DP Graphics also does brochures, website design, pamphlets, wedding invitations, wedding videography and card decals now.

Devaini has clients in Durban and Johannesburg, that mostly find her through Facebook and word of mouth. She manages her business outside of her normal working hours.

In the next five years, she projects that her business will have grown enough for her to have employees that will assist her with her design work.She insists that the youth should start their own businesses apart from their day jobs in order to build their own skills and their place in the work sector.

In reference to the IT industry, Devaini admits that her journey has not been without its challenges. "Respect is not given but earned and that motto has kept me going. I want to become an even “smarter IT chick.”

Devaini encourages all young women to pursue careers in the field of IT and engineering because according to her the world needs more powerful women. She says that young women need to believe that they are strong and beautiful and need to stand up for their beliefs.

“ You are a woman, you should be proud of who are and how far you have come. We are women! We are women in Technology!” 

-BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE

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