This is a repost of a blog post that I made almost two years ago after attending a Women in Tech event at Wyncode. Although the event has since passed, the message remains the same.
On Monday, November 19th, 2018, Wyncode hosted an event that featured a panelist of women who were Wyncode graduates, and who are currently successful in the tech field. I decided to go because I wanted to hear from women who found their place in the Miami tech ecosystem, and were able to carve out a space for themselves.
Aside from the event being extremely aspirational, it helped me come to the realization that a healthy support system is an essential component of success in STEM. Every one of the women on that panel mentioned how encouragement and constructive, honest feedback helped them push through the difficulties they faced during the coding bootcamp. They even spoke about the support they received in their respective workplaces.
It is well known that the tech field is highly populated by men, and that women are often underrepresented. I was curious to hear from these women currently working in the tech field about what the work environment has been like for them. Was it cold and isolating, or warm and inviting? Thankfully, all of the women on the panel shared that they had supportive individuals in each of their workplaces.
While all women on the panel described positive experiences in their respective workplaces, most have had different experiences at tech meetups or hack-a-thons where the crowd is full of skeptical, male tech engineers who are not used to seeing many women occupy the software or web development arena. Hearing their experiences reminded me of just how fundamental support systems are to ensuring that you stay the course and achieve your goals. Without that, I noticed that many people–including myself–become susceptible to the grumblings of self-doubt.
Recently, I came across this article about Dr. Ciara Sivels, the first Black woman to earn a PhD in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan; the top program in the United States. In the article, she admitted that engineering wasn’t her first career choice. Originally, she wanted to go to culinary school, but her AP Chemistry teacher saw that she was exceptionally intelligent and encouraged her to pursue STEM.
Dr. Sivels also reinforced the idea that a strong support system is essential to successful completion of any difficult program, especially in STEM. She even expressed that a lot of help from others kept her from quitting the program:
Lots of people helped me, because there were times where I was thinking about leaving the program. There was a point where I was like, OK, I was going to go to a different school because it’s just not working out.
Dr. Ciara Sivels, Meet The First Black Woman To Earn A Nuclear Engineering Ph.D. From Nation’s Top Program
Aside from a strong support system, representation in the tech field also seems to be a powerful form of motivation for other underrepresented individuals looking to enter that space. Dr. Sivels also went on to say that:
My two big things are representation and exposure. I feel like my path could have been a lot easier if I would’ve been exposed to things at a different time. I still feel like exposure is key and representation also helps, because you have people that look like you that can help pull you up when you’re failing.
Dr. Ciara Sivels, Meet The First Black Woman To Earn A Nuclear Engineering Ph.D. From Nation’s Top Program
I am absolutely thankful to hear a story like this, and I hope that I can also be in a position to encourage other young women to pursue a career in STEM if they are interested in doing so. Many young women need encouragement and guidance, because much of the images and messages being pushed on them, are limited in their portrayal of a woman’s options and true potential.