This International Women’s day hit differently this year. Coming from a career in a female-dominated industry to an industry that is male-dominated...Had me do some reflecting on my own choices growing up and my journey into tech and trying to understand… Where are all the women?!
Education
Being a kid of the 90s, having a computer was more of a novelty than a necessity. In high school, the IT curriculum was limited. The main focus was on learning Microsoft Office; creating and editing word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc. It wasn’t challenging enough for me and I became bored easily with how monotonous the tasks were.
This was, however, the MySpace era and naturally, every teenager had a profile on this social platform. Being the tinkerer that I am, I loved customizing my profile and was using HTML & CSS without even really knowing about web development as a career prospect.
I imagine the curriculum has changed dramatically since my schooling. I hear that coding and computer science are taught at a young age now in a lot of schools. What I want to know is; do they talk about all the different career paths? Are there extracurricular activities/workshops on offer? Are women in tech speaking to young girls in schools about a career in tech?
How many of the teaching staff in STEM subjects are women?
...“You can’t be what you can’t see”
Work Experience
My first memory of working with technology was when I built a computer from scratch in the IT department at my dad’s work! I also learned all about how technology was used to manage printing presses and even got to see “robots” carry huge rolls of paper to the presses. It was so much fun, I really enjoyed being immersed in this world, it was fascinating! Guess what was missing though? Women. All the engineers, the IT technicians, the developers etc were men.
…."You can’t be what you can’t see"
Choosing Beauty over STEM
I was really torn between choosing beauty therapy and choosing an engineering course for college. As a shy 16-year-old, the thought of being the only girl in a class full of boys was absolutely daunting. I did not want that attention.
Sure, I had other reasons for my choice, but that was a huge factor in my decision and perhaps that’s how other women feel too. Feeling discouraged to pursue their interests because they don’t want to be the lone one.
..."You can’t be what you can’t see"
Breaking into Tech & Breaking The Bias
For the past few years, all I had dreamed about was becoming a digital nomad. I have always had major wanderlust and have wanted to learn skills that would enable me to have the ‘laptop lifestyle.'
One of my best friends (who is a developer) encouraged me on several occasions to think about pursuing software development. He was always telling me how they needed more women in tech and was always trying to find resources or stories from female colleagues to inspire me!
When the pandemic hit, I finally had the time to commit all my energy to breaking into this industry, immersing myself in the tech Twitter community, and landing my first role with a company that fosters diversity and inclusion… It’s been the best decision I have ever made and I'm grateful every day for the people I get to meet and the things I get to learn and do!!
More importantly though, I want that joy for other women too, and if I can help uplift and inspire other women who are trying to break into tech or support those that are already in tech, well, that’s what I'm gonna do. I'm a woman on a mission.
Imagine a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination
— Emma✌️✨ (@ewainy) March 8, 2022
A world that is diverse and inclusive
I will continue to uplift, inspire and empower women & celebrate their achievements ✨💃🎉
Together we can forge women's equality
Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias #IWD2022 pic.twitter.com/XctzYZsTS1
Peace Love and Light! ✌️💖✨
#WomenWhoTech
Cover Photo by Molly Blackbird on Unsplash