We had a fanstastic evening last night at our monthly
Girls in Tech Boise meeting! Not only did we hear from a great speaker from a local radio show, we also had plenty of opportunity to chat about hot topics in our industry.
One of our members mentioned a great new article (Geeks drive girls out of computer science) that explains that new research shows that young women aren't entering the tech field because of the "Star Trek/Star Wars Factor".
On television and movies, girls are presented with a view of what it is like to be a IT professional. And much of the time, this view is centered around the traditional geeky stereotype of a work environment that is less than appealing to girls. Light sabers, Star Wars and science fiction memorabilia and cube farms are what most of these girls think of when they think of working in a high tech environment.
So this topic got us to talking last night. How can we counteract this stereotype? What can we do to show up and coming technologists that there is so much more to this great field than a bunch of sweaty guys with pocket protectors gathered in a room with life sized Star Wars cutouts and action figures adorning their desks? As Information Technologists, we do enjoy our science fiction from time to time, but the work that we do is vibrant, energizing, and very challenging. There is so much more to the field than the typical stereotype portrayed by the media. As employers, what can we do to create a creative work environment that appeals to both geeky men and girls? As geek girl pioneers, what can we do to show these young women that this is an amazing field to work in?
At Girls in Tech Boise, we're trying to make a difference. We're chatting right now with the Meridian Technical Charter High School about what we can do to mentor these girls and show them what exciting opportunities await them in technology.
For our next event, we'll be touring the school in Meridian and having a brainstorming meeting about our 2010 mentoring plan. We have around 60 members now and we'd love to see each of you at this special event! We want to discuss how we can really make a difference locally for these girls. For more details on the event and to RSVP, click here.