SXSW! Geek Girls Are Chic with Girls Who Code! Five Career Hacks on Sunday at 11AM CST!
Come on Sunday to see Geek Girls are Chic: 5 Career Hacks! We'll be in Ballroom A at the Austin Convention Center on Sunday, March 15th. Our session begins at 11:00AM Central. Visit this link to add our session to your SXSW schedule!
I'm so thrilled that I am sharing the stage during a SXSW featured session with one of my favorite organizations:
- Girls Who Code! Joining me will be Elizabeth Caudle, Director for Girls Who Code. Elizabeth's background is rich in STEM-type roles where she has been a supporter and leader of organizations dedicated to advancing educational opportunities around the globe!
During our session, Elizabeth and I will discuss women's participation in tech-related fields, why there are fewer women graduating with a technical degree, and why women are not rising in the tech ranks or startup businesses. We'll tackle these issues, as well as discuss how the tech industry can benefit from innovations from women. We'll discuss why more women need to take risks and embrace failure and build the courage the shatter the glass ceiling! We’ll also share with you 5 career hacks that can help you strategize your approach to grow your career!
Here’s a taste of what we’ll share with you:
- Doing your homework is a MOOC point
- Be an Open API
- Define your "ALL"
Watch my short video to get a taste of my session with Girls Who Code!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPi0gGDkFNI&w=560&h=315]
And after the session, be sure to join me at the SXSW Bookstore where I’ll be signing copies of my books. Come by, say “Hi!” and share your ideas with me! I promise, it'll be a lively debate!
Whether you are a woman or man, parent or business owner, this is a must-see session!
Happy International Women's Day!!! STEM jobs on the rise, but Women in STEM declining
STEM jobs are on the rise, in fact, there will be 1.4 million new computer science jobs by 2020.
- These new jobs pay better, 33% more than non-STEM positions.
- Women are the perfect candidates for these new jobs. Women hold a greater percentage of all bachelor’s degrees,
- Unfortunately, they also hold an increasingly smaller percentage of computer science degrees with just 18 percent in 2012 as compared to 37 percent in 1984.
- Women represent 48 percent of the workforce but only a quarter of STEM and IT careers.
- When women are in positions of leadership, there is a 35% higher return on equity and 34% better return to shareholders.
So let’s get some more women into the roles they can be qualified to fill.
At PBWC tomorrow, a group of Senior Women will continue the work to change the game. Tell me what you will do!!
What I learned from the Women of the Cloud Get Together at IBM Interconnect!
With over 1000 women joining us for the Women in the Cloud event at IBM Interconnect, we heard Ted Talks from:
- Lisa Seacat DeLuca - IBM's Most Prolific Woman Inventor
- Maria Winans - IBM's VP of Marketing
- Marie Wieck - IBM's GM of Software
- Laurie McCabe - CEO / Founder SMB Group
- Frances West - IBM's Executvie for Accessibility
- me!
Here's my Top 10.5 Top Aways!
- Learn how to say No! Not every opportunity is a good one so don't say yes to everything. Pick and choose those with the highest Return on Investment or Most Joy!
- You Can have it ALL but you have to define what your ALL is. What brings you joy and excitement should be your bar, not what others desire.
- Exercise! Almost all of the TED talks valued working out to de stress and stay healthy!
- Prioritize yourself. The analogy I used was on a flight and in life, put your safety mask on first. Then you can help others. Sometimes it is ok to make you a priority.
- Have a support structure. All of us need help and so when your daughter comes home with that last minute tea and you have a big presentation, have a support team who can sub in when needed. You’ll need a strong support network for your personal life to meet the challenges of integrating work and life. Ask help of those around you – friends, family, and neighbors
- Take risks. Stretch opportunities, coaching and placement in roles outside of your “comfort zone” is critical to building leadership attributes
- Have fun. Many examples of where women excel more when they loved what they were doing. Do what brings you joy!
- Move from "can it be done" to "how can I get it done". Attitude and tone is really important but for your teams and you!
- Believe in yourself. Make sure you have confidence in you and your abilities and those crazy ideas.
- Give yourself permission. Don’t feel guiltly about decisions Make a decision and stand behind it. As one executive put it, “Don’t spend your time feeling guilty afterwards because you may be putting unnecessary pressure on yourself.”
10.5 Get a massage weekly!
Girls Who Code Partnering with IBM! Summertime fun in 2015!
I'm so excited to announce that IBM is sponsoring Girls Who Code, a national non-profit dedicated to empowering teenage girls with computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities! 
I love it! Being a mother of two girls, I know how important it is to nurture girls to embrace STEM-type skills, like coding! And, even better, the girls love it! This Summer, IBM and Girls Who Code will host a group of 20 young women each day for 7 weeks as they learn everything from mobile app development to robotics to web design and ultimately get a chance to build the app they want to see made available. Applications are now being accepted for the 2015 Summer Immersion Program. Current 10th and 11th grade girls with a passion for tech are encouraged to apply. The program is free for participants and no prior experience is necessary.
This is sure to be a life-changing experience! We hope you will spread the word about this fabulous opportunity and encourage the 10th and 11th grade young women in your life to apply today at http://www.girlswhocode.com/applynow.
Here are some tweets you can use to help spread the word! And be sure to follow them on Twitter @GirlsWhoCode!
- Awesome org @GirlsWhoCode is accepting applications for summer 2015! High School girls who love tech can apply at http://girlswhocode.com/applynow
- Learn to code, change the world! High School girls can apply now for @GirlsWhoCode Summer Immersion Program at http://girlswhocode.com/applynow
- Join the movement! @GirlsWhoCode is recruiting teen girls for the unforgettable Summer Immersion Program. Apply at http://girlswhocode.com/applynow
Video Blog: Teaching binary to Toddlers! Is it important for all to Code?
Why are fewer people graduating with a technical degree (12% today vs 37% in 1984)? Why should you care?
Listen to this video blog to see how people are starting to train their kids earlier on how to code because of the upcoming importance to ALL on the power of coding!
I'd love to hear your thoughts!!!
Bluemix Girls Night out! Diversity improves performance and increases innovation
Organizations that are the most inclusive of women in top management achieve 35% higher return on equity (ROE) and 34% better total return to shareholders versus their peers – and research shows gender diversity to be particularly valuable where innovation is key, according to research conducted by Illuminate Ventures.
Despite women making up more than 50% of the population, women are conspicuously absent in IT. Only 3% of tech companies were founded by women, and, of venture-backed startups, only 1.3% have a female founder and only 6.5% have a woman CEO. Women make up half of all consumers, but by not having their voice included in the development of today’s new technology, the world is missing out on a wave of new technology and products that would appeal to both genders.
Women in IT has always been low, but today it is even lower than 30 years ago. Today, women represent 12% of all computer science graduates. In 1984, they represented 37% of all computer science graduates.
Much of this has to do with exposure to computer science before college and during college. According to Code.org, nine out of ten schools don't even offer computer science classes, and in 28 out of 50 states, computer science doesn't count towards a math or science credit.
This is why I love the focus on more women in Computer Science! Join our movement to get more women in Tech!
In Japan, our team hosted a great event for a "Girls Night Out" around the cloud!
If you are interested in hosting a "Bluemix Girls Night Out" in your region, please let me know!
How can you help more women enter IT? Reshma Saujani from Girls Who Code explains
I had a fascinating discussion recently with Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO for Girls Who Code. We discussed why so few women are embarking in careers in Computer Science and what we need to do to address this.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaaZnKioH8Q?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
You will find Reshma speaking at the upcoming SXSW conference in Austin, TX.