There has been a momentous push to highlight gender inequality within tech, yet the question still remains: Why are there so few women in tech and in top leadership roles?

According to a recent Reuters study, 30% of 450 technology executives stated that their groups had no women in leadership positions. Only 25% of the IT jobs in the US were filled by women and considering the fact that 56% of women leave IT in the highlight of their career, it’s no surprise that there are so few women leading the tech industry.

30% of 450 technology executives stated that their groups had no women in leadership positions

The value of having women in leadership is common sense – women make up half of the purchasing demographic so having limited or no representation of women leading companies can make them miss out on valuable insight. This common sense is backed by a study by a DDI consulting firm that found the top 20% of top-performing companies had 27% or more women in key leadership positions while the bottom 20% of companies had less than 19% of women in these roles.

I asked women in leadership roles to share their experience in the tech space, everything from why they chose a career in tech to perks/challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated industry to advice for young women considering tech as a career.

Advice to young women considering tech

Brush up on your math.

Becca Stucky, Director of Demand Generation at tech company Thycotic, says that math skills are critical. “Tech companies move fast, and to know you’re making the right choices, you need to be able to read trends and metrics for how your initiatives perform – this is true not only for marketing but also for making choices for product features or UX, running tech support and client happiness teams, and even working across teams and explaining to other managers why your team is making certain choices.”

Diane Merrick, VP of Marketing at Teradici agrees with Stucky, adding “Don’t be intimidated by math and science. Ask questions. Sometimes the problem is the teacher, not the subject. You may need to explore other sources of learning.” Merrick also recommends young women check out the option of a co-op degree where you’re guaranteed work after graduation. “It is a fantastic way to help you discover what you like and maybe more importantly what you don’t like,” she says.

Know your worth

For Katie McCroskey, Senior Manager Channel Operations at Thycotic, it’s important for young women to know their value. “Women bring a lot to a tech company – different perspectives and skill sets, tech companies with more women are more successful and it’s a hot industry to be in, good paying jobs with lots of diversity in focus (dev, cybersecurity, ops, etc.) and opportunity. Don’t allow yourself to be intimidated by a room full of men.”

Become a life-long learner

Karen Nowicki, director of engineering for a Chicago-based software company called kCura, says that women in tech need to become life-long learners. “Make learning part of your commitment to yourself and keep looking for new ways to grow. Technology is an especially fast-paced career. Not only will you find the domain changing quickly, but career growth also demands being proficient in each new role. Joining user groups in your industry and national societies to keep current are just a couple ways to stay sharp.”

Go for it

“There are so many options open to you when you go into a tech career,” says Dr. Galina Datskovsky, CEO of Vaporstream. “It is not just programming or coding – the options are unlimited. You should never be afraid and never think that the guys are better at it than you. You are capable of the same and more. So, just go for it.”

Stand Out

Robbie Hardy, tech sector veteran, and author of the new book UPSETTING THE TABLE: Women Mentoring Women says that young women should consider tech because they’ll stand out. “Technology is a great career for smart women who like a challenge and lots of opportunities. While it has been a male-dominated Wild Wild West for years, it is changing. An increasing number of women are embracing STEM, which is the basis of most technology careers. These women “stand out” and therefore their talents and integrity are more exposed than a man. This has both pluses and minuses, but if you understand that you must not take no for an answer and take your rightful seat at the table of technology (upsetting the table, as I like to say), you will succeed.”

Choosing a career in tech

Solving real-world problems

For Stucky, she enjoyed the idea of working for a company making lives better was a big motivation for her to enter the tech space. “In tech — and software specifically — if you can imagine it then you can make it. There are very few limits to what people can do when given a computer and the knowledge to code. I find that very inspiring. Software can make people’s lives easier, it can make work more productive, companies more secure, and it can connect people all over the world. Productivity is something I get especially excited about. I absolutely hate doing something if I know it can be done faster, with fewer steps, or if I can automate it. Even though my own coding skills are mediocre at best, I get to be part of an industry of problem solvers, idea-dreamers, and of virtual builders, who are creating entirely new markets and tools that the world never considered before now, but once made, could not imagine living without.”

Happy accident

Not everyone starts out with a desire to join a tech company. “My tech career began by accident,” McCroskey said. “I joined Thycotic seven years ago with a background in marketing and grew my technical knowledge and background as the company grew; now I love the challenge of constant change and teaching myself new technical topics, this constant quest for knowledge keeps me driven and engaged.”

Hardy also stumbled into tech on accident. “The technology world chose me. I was a research assistant at UNC Chapel Hill, putting my husband through his Ph.D. program, and in order to do my job, I had to learn to use technology to analyze the data we had collected. It was certainly challenging because I am not a math and science person by nature, but once I unlocked the door to all that was possible with those 1s and 0s, I was hooked for life,” she said. “I found my sweet spot in technology management. My experience in those days as a research analyst and beyond gave me the technology foundation I needed to be successful in managing it.”

Creating a shared vision
For Nowicki, knowing how to earn respect from an early age is a critical part of a tech career. “In high school, I became president of a rifle club and it was my first foray into leadership. I had to earn respect to get the role and incorporate everyone’s feedback to shape the program in a positive way. In college, I picked up computer science and led a national mathematics honor society where I put on a national math convention. Throughout the process, I got the hang of how to collaborate effectively and make decisions that were best for the group,” she said. “I’m also a volunteer coach for an Olympic-style junior air rifle club and there are very few female coaches. When I take the students to tournaments, the other coaches and attendees are sometimes surprised to see me. They perceive the sport to be male-dominated and have to shift how they think, so we can work together effectively. From a leadership standpoint, volunteering has taught me that you have to appreciate and maximize the unique passions and talents that everyone brings to the table and work with people of all different skill levels and backgrounds to create a shared vision.”

Groundbreaking field

For Datskovsky, the opportunity to be in a revolutionary space like tech was too attractive to resist. “I always liked exact sciences and found that computer science gave the right mix of science, technology, and human interaction, as well as the ability to work in a groundbreaking field that is constantly changing and evolving.”

Innovation

Being in an innovative space is what drew Merrick to a career in tech. “I began my career as a civil structural engineer in Ontario, Canada – a technical career but not in the “tech space”. There are several things that intrigued me about the tech space: The pace of innovation. The openness to do things differently. A lesser degree of prejudice – good ideas seemed welcome from anyone regardless of age or sex. The tech space is also a very global industry and it afforded me the opportunity to not only move to California but to travel the world.”

The challenges facing women in tech

Finding the right company
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See more: http://www.womanlycare.com/highs-lows-woman-tech/

Quite informative

if you'd like to be serviced in English press 1

.

its alright

Misstechy is my inspiration in tech although am a guy I just like her visit http://www.wikinaija.com.ng

Good advice.

But how many naija girls will be willing to consider tech?

This is a nice one. I was expecting to see Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo and Sheryl Sandberg. I completely agree that sometimes it's the fault of the teachers.



Btw, the lady who said 'You are capable of the same and more' What do you think would be the reaction if it came from a man's mouth concerning a lady? Some people like saying trash.

Nigerian girls? tech? I laugh in Hebrew. no offense though, it's not just their thing

ok

You mean tech ,like flying in the night..

Most ladies love the easiest root to success and some even believe their beauty is enough, hence you will hardly find a female coder or tech expert.

Nice one Op,

E no easy.
But i feel unlike before, we have more women going into it.

But make i no lie, we all dey find the one with more money oo, na y dem dey rush enter politics o,
Hehehehe

alright

Hmmm

Here to famz with tech ladies. I have a helpless crush on them.

sexfabregas:
Nigerian girls? tech? I laugh in Hebrew. no offense though, it's not just their thing

That you don't have them around you doesn't mean they aren't there.
Way back in secondary school, we had 4 graduating ladies in technical class, in a class of 30.
And that's way back man, over a decade ago.

sexfabregas:
Nigerian girls? tech? I laugh in Hebrew. no offense though, it's not just their thing

who told you eeeehn?? Well I'm an exception and I do hope to be grounded in it...

Ok

I find Techy women attractive, especially those that make an effort at being attractive.

frenchwine:

That you don't have them around you doesn't mean they aren't there.
Way back in secondary school, we had 4 graduating ladies in technical class, in a class of 30.
And that's way back man, over a decade ago.

you see my point? just 4 ladies? and I'm sure boys were more than 20

Genea:
who told you eeeehn?? Well I'm an exception and I do hope to be grounded in it...

wow seriously? I like you already.

sexfabregas:
Nigerian girls? tech? I laugh in Hebrew. no offense though, it's not just their thing

In 2017? If you are ignorant pls enlighten yourself. The women in tech community is growing in nigeria. A typical tech coy in lagos has at least 2 to 5 females on their dev team. And this is not a new development. Its even easier getting jobs as a female techie.

The major challenge in nigeria has always been the crappy educational system. Many techies i know were self taught. But then, i still know a lot of females doing really good and carving a niche for themselves.

Coys like konga, hotels.ng, interswitch, andela and many others have females heading different parts of their tech teams.

I am an Information technology graduate and anything about technology gives me goosebumps. That's my life.
The problem is I feel like I'm kind-of limited because of the environment I've found myself in.
Well, I've always wanted to study cyber security and also be an Ethical Hacker... I just Hope I'll get the opportunity I'm seeking for because Nigeria can frustrate the shit outta someone.

There are women interested in technology Op and I am one of them... even though unemployment and other frustrating situation can make one perform way below their capacity

geekybabe:


In 2017? If you are ignorant pls enlighten yourself. The women in tech community is growing in nigeria. A typical tech coy in lagos has at least 2 to 5 females on their dev team. And this is not a new development. Its even easier getting jobs as a female techie.

The major challenge in nigeria has always been the crappy educational system. Many techies i know were self taught. But then, i still know a lot of females doing really good and carving a niche for themselves.

Coys like konga, hotels.ng, interswitch, andela and many others have females heading different parts of their tech teams.

ah you didn't have to call me ignorant now. I know there are tech girls, what i mean is that they are very few, compared to guys. BTW I said no offense meant. just aired my views

sexfabregas:


wow seriously? I like you already.

yes dearie

sekem:
Good advice.

But how many naija girls will be willing to consider tech?

There are quite a few women in Tech in Nigeria who are really flying high; Ire Aderinokun and co. I know because I follow a lot of them on Twitter. Andela too has quite a number of female tech developers. But what many fail to realize is that tech is actually a large industry.

You can be a UX/UI person, project management, marketing, devops, support etc. And each of those fields have numerous opportunities that females can take advantage off. These days, I attend Usable (a meetup of the UI/UX community at CcHub) and I see quite a number of females who truly want to break into the industry.

The future is bright I must say

lovethchioma:
I am an Information technology graduate and anything about technology gives me goosebumps. That's my life.
The problem is I feel like I'm kind-of limited because of the environment I've found myself in.
Well, I've always wanted to study cyber security and also be an Ethical Hacker... I just Hope I'll get the opportunity I'm seeking for because Nigeria can frustrate the shit outta someone.

There are women interested in technology Op and I am one of them... even though unemployment and other frustrating situation can make one perform way below their capacity

Don't be. In the next few years, Nigerian tech startups will be building products that will have markets across the borders of Africa. Flutterwave is already in over 20 countries. Interswitch too. Companies like Paystack and those we don't know yet too will probably join the gang. When these companies cross that line, cyber security would be a BIG issue for them and indigenous cyber security guys would be hot cakes. Besides, you can also go ahead with cyber security and ethical hacking and be a freelancer. The possibilities are endless.

One things the past few months have taught me is that in Tech, you can carve a niche for yourself and not end up being someone's slave.

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