Don't Let Your Gender Hold You Back From A Career In Technology

While there are many industries in which women are excelling, there are others which are certainly feeling the lack of female presence. The technology industry is one of the fastest-growing industries globally, yet many women still consider it to be a man’s world. With technology being the future, it’s definitely worth considering a career in the industry. Don’t let your gender stop you from pursuing a career in tech; you never know where it might lead you.

Inspiration from some of the world’s leading tech leaders

While you might be familiar with names like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, there are plenty of strong female leaders in the tech industry who you should look to for inspiration. PriceWaterhouseCoopers revealed a startling statistic showing that 78% of students couldn’t name a single famous female working in tech. The truth is that there are some amazing and inspirational women working in the industry, including Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, Susan Wojcicki of YouTube and Angela Ahrendts of Apple. Familiarise yourself with their stories and see them as good role models to look up to.

Don’t let the gender gap start in the classroom

The technology gender gap is something that begins at school and means many women lose enthusiasm for a career in the industry at a young age. There are plenty of avenues to explore when it comes to tech from design to marketing that may not be as blatantly tech-related as they appear, but they offer a lot of potential when it comes to career growth. If you’ve left school thinking that technology was not for you, there are ways you can reconsider it after you’ve left mainstream education. Courses like the College of Westchester Computer Networking Programs certificates are great for helping you to build up your skills and help you get the experience you need for a career in technology. There are a lot of avenues to explore, and it’s never too late to give it a try.

Holding your own

While it’s true that there is lack of women working in technology, that doesn’t mean you can’t thrive within it. There is a lot of advice out there for surviving in a man’s world, and being yourself is one of the most important aspects of it. It might be difficult to find your voice at first, but it’s important that you learn to use it to help you make the most of the opportunities that are available to you. Work hard, build a strong support network and set yourself goals to help you achieve your dreams. It might feel like there’s a tough road ahead of you, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Forget your preconceptions about working in technology and consider the different possibilities available to you. There are some great articles to help you fuel an interest in the technology industry as well as women you can contact who will be thrilled to share their experience. Rise to the challenge and who knows, maybe one day it could be you one of the ‘top women in tech’ pages giving inspiration to others.