At the age of 10, Tatyana had a dream of becoming an actress. However, her aspirations transformed as she progressed through school. In her middle school years, she yearned to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a physician. By high school, Tatyana boldly set her sights on a groundbreaking path - to become one of the first female web programmers in Ijevan, defying prevailing gender norms and embracing her intelligence and ambitions.
"My life completely changed when I attended the information session organized by the passionate people of the Armenia Workforce Development Activity at our university one year ago. They came with a mission: to inspire us to explore the remarkable opportunities offered by the Activity that provided free training courses on various topics in high-tech, agriculture, and hospitality. At the time, I was studying in my second year of university, studying Information and Applied Mathematics at the YSU branch in Ijevan. Indeed, the training sparked great excitement among us, as it introduced something novel to Ijevan. However, as time passed, not everyone was able to overcome the challenges during the classes," Tatyana Jeloyan, 20, proudly explained. She further revealed her exceptional achievement as one of the few females who not only successfully completed the training but also received a job offer from the newly established “Elmasys” (Warehouse Management System) company in Ijevan right after the course.
Despite her achievements, Tatyana faced opposition from her parents, who insisted that she focus solely on her studies. However, she embraced her passion, and a few months later, undeterred by her parent’s opposition, she triumphantly walked through the doors of “Elmasys” as a web programmer. To her parents’ surprise, her dedication to work enhanced her university performance.
Thanks to the comprehensive online and offline training, provided by the USAID-funded “Armenia Workforce Development Activity”, Tatyana mastered Java Script, PHP, HTML, CSS, and SQL, under the guidance of industry professionals. "These programming languages went beyond the fundamental knowledge provided by my university. The training enabled me to immediately dive into practical applications and work on real projects," she said, reflecting on her experience.
Currently, Tatyana thrives in her role, working on multiple projects with the dedicated team at “Elmasys” in Ijevan. Simultaneously, she passionately pursues her goal of earning a Master's degree in quantum physics.
“In the rapidly evolving world of IT, one must be prepared for an ongoing journey of learning to reach heights. Personally, I have always chosen to ignore the baseless rumors that claim IT is a domain exclusively reserved for males. Such outdated stereotypes are gradually being shattered, even in remote areas like Ijevan. I firmly believe that if you dare to dream, you must follow your instincts with unwavering determination, regardless of the obstacles that may arise along the way,” said Tatyana.
Launched in October 2021, the Armenia Workforce Development Activity, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is implemented by the Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF) and a consortium of partners, including the Armenian National Agrarian University (ANAU) Foundation, Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), and Civitta Armenia. The primary objective of the Activity is to equip 10,000 young individuals aged 15 to 29 from all provinces of Armenia with essential job skills highly sought after in the labor market. Furthermore, it aims to provide better employment opportunities to 7,000 individuals in the fields of ICT/high-tech, agriculture, and hospitality.