You Code, Girl!
Women diving into the tech world has been a uncommon occurrence for years, and now, entering 2021, there are still not very many women venturing into a technical career.
It’s crazy to think that technology is one of the most innovative and ever-changing fields, yet, it is STILL a career that is stereotyped as a man’s job.
“That is a boy’s job.”
“Only nerdy guys do that.”
“Aren’t you going to be bored?”
These are real things that I have been said to me during my transition into web development.
I don’t believe any of the above statements are true and neither should any other woman. Let’s look at some statistics, tips and benefits to why this is the time to be a woman diving into the tech world!
Women only hold a quarter of ALL tech jobs
According to Sam Dale at Built In, only 26% of all tech jobs are held by women. And more specifically, women being hired as software engineers has only increased 2% over the last 20 years!! But why!? Why is the number so low? Unfortunately, it all boils down to the gender stereotype of “boys are better at science and math.”
Historically speaking, women have always been the care takers. The teachers. The nurses. But as the world has evolved, women have began diving into careers that previously were stereotyped as a “male” career, such as sales management, car mechanics and software development!
Luckily, there are a lot of web development companies that are specifically trying to close the gender gap, so dive into a school or begin learning on your own and show your future employers what you can do!
So many benefits to diving into web development!
Obviously these benefits are not only for women, but I do think it’s important to point out the benefits so if there is a woman hesitant to jump in, she will feel motivated and empowered to build her future! Here are just a few of the many benefits!
- Jumping into a web development career can happen relatively quickly. // I have a background in teaching. I had no web development experience, but with the help of Flatiron School, I am able to change my career quickly. I am currently enrolled in Flatiron’s full-time software engineering program. The program is roughly 14 weeks long, but when the program is over, I will be able to apply to web development companies. Most other career changes can take years, but from my understanding, many people can become web developers within a year!
- There is a lot of room for growth. // Web developers continue to learn and grow in their personal knowledge, but web developers also are able to grow income quickly by moving to a new company. Many web developers move switch companies after a year or two, which can return a pay increase and/or even a promotion! The sky is the limit!
- You can be creative! // I find a lot of people that don’t know much about web development have the perception that it is a boring career. I truly think that thought can’t be farthest from the truth! I am currently a student, but from what I can tell, this is an artistic career. Just like a painter with a blank canvas or a sculptor with a large untouched stone, a web developer gets to build and create a digital work of art!
- This is a career that can fit your needs. // I find this benefit to be one of top reasons why I dove into web development. I wanted a job that would take care of myself and my family financially — CHECK. I wanted to find a job that would allow me to be a human in the evenings — CHECK. I wanted to find a job that I could be full-time, part-time or contractual, depending on the season of life I am in — CHECK. This is a career that can be molded into your life, instead of you molding yourself to fit the career (hence why public school teaching was not for me).
Schools offer scholarships to women jumping into web dev!
Because the amount of women in the web development world is extremely low, a lot of schools are offering scholarships to women. Schools such as Flatiron, Fullstack Academy, and Thinkful all offer scholarships to those that identify as a woman. So take the scholarships and start that web dev career, ladies!
Organizations that support women in web development.
There are SO many organizations that are supporting women in web development! From online communities to workshops, these companies are working to help support anyone woman in the web dev world.
Girls Who Code — “Girls Who Code is on a mission to close the gender gap in technology and to change the image of what a programmer looks like and does.”
Women in Web Dev — “Helping women get into Web Development with mentorship, community, and accountability.”
Women Who Code — “Our mission is to inspire women to excel in technology careers.”
Women Who Startup — “Women Who Startup provides a network, a platform, multiple sources of collaboration and rapid-learning to entrepreneurs and innovators who are committed to building successful companies.”
Rails Girls — “Our aim is to give tools and a community for women to understand technology and to build their ideas.”
I hope that this blog will inspire someone to jump into the web development world. Before I began my own career changing journey, I came across a web development blog written by a woman that inspired me to want to be come a web developer and I hope this does the same for someone else!
Thanks for reading and happy coding!
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