Employee Spotlight: Mariia Pohorielova

23rd June is Women in Engineering day and an occassion where we get to celebrate the work and achievements of women engineers from all around the world.  

At Wirex we're passionate about highlighting all the amazing women working in crypto from all around the business, so today is the perfect time to put the spotlight onto one of our engineers! We reached out to Mariia Pohorielova, a Mobile QA Engineer at Wirex to find out a little bit more about her experience with the crypto industry.

How did you first get involved in the crypto space?

I first heard about cryptocurrencies in 2015. I was an exchange student at Korea University in Seoul and during one of the classes, we were asked to make a presentation about ‘striking business ideas and notions’.

So when my classmate mentioned bitcoins only a few of us could say that we’d heard of it before. Me? Until that moment I was oblivious to the existence of virtual coins. Back then I couldn't even imagine that in two years' time at Wirex I would get the first-hand experience in the crypto industry. For me, that was an exciting opportunity to take a closer look at the novel world of a fintech business.

Why do you think more women should get involved in crypto?

Crypto technology is developing rapidly and there's no doubt that crypto is soon to become an essential financial part of everyday life. And of course, women no longer need to stay in the side lines.

Evidence suggests that women are generally take less risks and more deliberated when it comes to investments and big decisions. They usually take time to consider the risks and outcomes of these choices and investments. Such consideration increases the chances that women getting involved in crypto and crypto investments will add up to financial independence, success and prosperity.

Women's increased crypto involvement is also a really encouraging trend to those who might have been unsure about participating in the crypto sphere.

What's more, the crypto industry itself can be empowered by women as gender-balanced teams have proved to be more effective and fruitful. After all, it's much more fun to work within a diverse community, isn't it?

What advice would you give to someone who’s interested in learning about crypto?

When you step into the crypto world for the first time it can be quite challenging as there are lots of baffling terms and complicated descriptions. The variety of coins to choose from only adds to the confusion. I've been there, I can relate.

But don't get discouraged. There are plenty of step-by-step guides that explain cryptocurrency in simple words. Start from those, build up your knowledge, and then you can move on to trying it out for yourself!

If you ever feel lost, ask for help. There are crypto enthusiasts all over the world who are more than happy to offer advice and help you out.

Where do you see the crypto industry in 5 years’ time?

Cryptocurrencies are rapidly growing in popularity, so it’s no surprise that there are lots of predictions about the future of crypto assets. Some experts say that cryptocurrencies will become more regulated and therefore less attractive. Others claim that they are yet to reach their peak.

I think that regardless of all opinions the cryptocurrencies will keep their pace and very soon enter our everyday life.

So it's better to be ready for the future and start exploring crypto today!