October 2024 update: Dayana has now transitioned her employment to one of our partner clients, Ventia!
Dayana Sedova is a Lead Data Analyst in our Melbourne office. After joining ASA when the office opened in 2022, she started working on telecommunications projects with Ventia before moving into our Digital Engineering team. Find out how she ended up getting what she wished for, even though it wasn’t in the package she expected!
Dayana Sedova: I was born in Uzbekistan and lived half of my life in the United Arab Emirates. I am a former professional tennis player. Until I was 17, most of my childhood revolved around tennis and tournaments. I was a good player but had attention issues; no one knew how to address them.
I was okay during practice, but when it was time to compete, it was nearly impossible for me to stay focused during matches. At that time, the concept of neurodiversity was not widely recognised, so I was repeatedly told that I just needed to ‘try harder'. I eventually retired due to multiple injuries. But I don’t regret spending 14 years of my life on the tennis court, as it allowed me to travel the world, participate in international tournaments, and meet many interesting people.
After finishing tennis, I decided to focus on my education and completed my Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science with a major in Game Development. These were challenging times due to the same focus issues, and I struggled with learning some subjects I was not interested in. I had to spend two or three times more time than others to memorise and understand the topics.
“I dreamed about becoming a 3D artist and was looking for a role in game development or production. When I graduated, I was actively looking for work, but there were many challenges to getting into the industry. I applied for over a hundred positions. Even doing some unpaid work for my resume didn’t help. Then COVID hit, and there were fewer opportunities available. My mental health declined, so I decided to take a break and seriously considered trying a different field. It was during this time that I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It was then that everything made sense to me.”
Before ASA, I did a little of everything to earn money. I did deliveries, even furniture assembly. I accidentally came across ASA in a Facebook ADHD forum I was part of. I thought it was too good to be true, but I sent through an application anyway. I joined ASA in June 2022 as a Junior Data Analyst. I was one of the first new hires for our Melbourne office. From when I started until May 2024, I worked on numerous telecommunications engineering projects, designing and amending new residential and business development services for Ventia’s fibreoptic cable rollout across Victoria, Tasmania, and Queensland.
I struggled to understand what we were doing when I first started due to language barriers. This was my first experience working in an office with solely native English speakers. I also had terrible social anxiety, which obviously did not help. But luckily, the team was great, and the leaders were really helpful and supportive. I quickly gained confidence and became a Project Lead in the Melbourne office, at one point leading a team of approximately 10 people. Now, I’m a Lead Data Analyst!
Since our Digital Engineering stream expanded, I got the opportunity to dive deeper into this field. I received training on Revit software and even had a chance to contribute to one of the projects. I am very excited about continuing to expand my skills in this area, especially considering that Digital Engineering involves a lot of 3D work (the stars have aligned!).
I really enjoy working with my team. Everyone is so different in their backgrounds, life paths, and personalities. But what brings us together is our passion: a passion for making this world a better place, a passion for learning, a passion for growth, and so on. Everyone brings something unique to the team and contributes to the development of our stream. We are all neurodivergent, but rather than concentrating on the difficulties each of us faces, we focus on our strengths and how we can use them.
“Another great thing about ASA is the support we receive. Our team of People Success Officers help us develop our personal goals, a Transition Coordinator who supports analysts transitioning their employment to other inclusive organisations, and a Learning and Development Manager who has been a great help to me personally and our leaders. This is our first time in a leadership position for most of us, and there is so much to learn.”
I really enjoy what I am doing now—the work is challenging and exciting, and I love my team. I want to continue my journey in Digital Engineering, as there are always opportunities to grow and learn something new. In my opinion, every skill that we learn in the workplace can easily be applied in our personal lives. I have gained self-confidence, my social anxiety has improved significantly, and I've learned about my boundaries and what self-awareness means. I've also learned the importance of pushing myself out of my comfort zone. This is probably one of the most essential skills, and it has helped me develop into this version of myself.
When communicating, I prefer face-to-face interactions or Teams messages. I'm not the biggest fan of video calls and am terrified of voice calls. My social battery gets drained quickly; even commuting to work can be draining because of the crowds. I understand I'm reaching my limits when it's getting harder for me to put sentences together. At moments like this, it's important to put yourself first. For example, avoiding social activities is the right choice for me in this case, but sometimes, I like to push through so I can spend time with people whose company I enjoy. I also prefer to let my teammates know when I am low on energy (although they are probably already aware), and by doing this, I am eliminating the need to mask, so I don't have to pretend I am okay.
“Regarding how other workplaces can support neurodivergent people, I believe educating employees on neurodiversity would be the first step. This is not only helpful for neurotypicals but also very beneficial for neurodivergent people. I have learned much about neurodiversity through our training sessions, workshops, and group learnings. It has helped me better understand myself and those around me.”
Promoting empathy and trust in the workplace is also very important. You might not be aware of your coworkers' struggles because they constantly mask their challenges to meet social expectations. However, this can lead to burnout and unexpected health issues. It's better to prevent burnout by providing accommodations, which can only happen if employees trust their managers and know they won't be judged.
Neurodiversity isn't something that can be 'fixed,' so learning how to navigate and manage your challenges is essential. There are days when I struggle to communicate or need some space, especially when my social battery is drained. In these situations, it's crucial to communicate with the managers so they understand why I might be quieter or less social than usual.
Many of the people I work with are here for a reason. They faced challenges at some point in their lives and sought an opportunity to showcase their skills and talents. Now, they've become leaders and managers, driven by their passion. They're doing incredible work, proving that neurodiversity isn't just about disabilities. Instead, it's about recognising that seeing the world differently is neither bad nor wrong—it's simply a different perspective, and that's perfectly fine.