{"id":4035,"date":"2016-02-11T11:00:44","date_gmt":"2016-02-11T17:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/?p=4035"},"modified":"2016-06-02T14:45:46","modified_gmt":"2016-06-02T19:45:46","slug":"5-tips-for-women-in-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/5-tips-for-women-in-it\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Thrive in IT: 5 Tips for Women"},"content":{"rendered":"

Job seekers with computing skills face a rosy future if today\u2019s forecast proves true: The U.S. Department of Labor<\/a> predicts there will be more than 1.2 million computing-related job openings by 2022\u2014and far from enough qualified workers to fill those jobs. What\u2019s more, female candidates for information technology (IT) jobs are expected to be in high demand as companies seek to adjust the gender balance of their workforce.<\/p>\n

Currently, for example, women comprise just 15% of the technical staff at Facebook and 17% of the workforce at Google, according to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times<\/a>. Even Pinterest, a social network that\u2019s hugely popular with women, has trouble attracting female tech talent.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a woman considering a career in IT, there are many upsides to entering the field, including positions that are well-compensated, and fairly equal when comparing experience, education, and job titles<\/a>. However, you may have to navigate some challenges that your male counterparts don\u2019t. So what should women keep in mind to thrive in IT?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. Choose your battles.<\/h4>\n

While it might seem tempting to try and fix every injustice you encounter, it\u2019s a better idea to pick your battles, according to Dr. Carolyn Taylor, Master Researcher at ZTE and graduate of Capella University\u2019s PhD in General Information Technology<\/a> program. \u201cDifferent situations call for different tactics, and sometimes those tactics require you to do the most difficult thing of all, nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

She recommends ignoring the offenders\u2014if they can\u2019t get a rise out of you, they lose interest in trying. Not that you don\u2019t deserve to work in a safe and comfortable environment\u2014it just may take time and patience to get there in a way that doesn\u2019t alienate you from all your co-workers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a02.\u00a0You\u2019ll have to prove your worth regularly.<\/h4>\n

\u201cThis is something that persists, for me, to this day,\u201d says Taylor. \u201cWhen a new set of customers arrive at my current organization, I\u2019m usually assumed to be something of a secretary or just a \u2018data processing girl.\u2019\u201d When customers have been used to dealing with primarily male IT workers, it can take time for them to realize that women are, in fact, part of IT too\u2014and good at it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to become offended and to be frustrated. It can be exhausting to feel you constantly have something to prove. However, I\u2019ve learned to just\u2014stop. Stop allowing the situation to affect my mood and demeanor and merely just do the job I know I am capable of doing. I actually do not have to prove anything, it turns out.\u201d<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re willing to be a doormat. And don\u2019t always assume someone is deliberately trying to discriminate against you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. Communication and multitasking are key.<\/h4>\n

Women have some skills that make them as valuable\u2014if not more so\u2014than men in the IT world. Alena Levina, Senior Systems Developer at Capella, notes that women are often good communicators, helpful in a field where there\u2019s a strong demand for people who can translate \u201cgeek\u201d speak to a business user. \u201cWomen have great ability to multitask. We\u2019re wired that way, so use it to your advantage. Some people may think that multitasking is not a great thing. But there are busy days when priorities shift and deadlines change, and I often need to switch focus and do multiple things at once. And I get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. It will take continuous learning and hard work.<\/h4>\n

The programming world is mostly all men, and surveys show women believe they lack skills needed in technology to get into the field. But Levina says women should rethink that idea. \u201cI found in my career that, as in any other profession, you earn your skills and reputation by learning and excelling in what you do. Starting with junior level programming, you can grow into senior experienced programmer by working hard, searching for solutions, asking right questions, coding by trial and error at times, just getting better at it every time.<\/p>\n

\u201cPractice makes perfect. Coworkers and managers always appreciate a positive attitude and willingness to learn. I didn\u2019t have any programming language knowledge when I switched to IT from accounting, but I knew I had great aptitude for technology and I was willing to dig in and learn. Experience and reputation is gained through hard work.\u201d Don\u2019t get discouraged\u2014instead, focus on getting education and experience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. Eventually, you can change the game.<\/h4>\n

Taylor has seen this happen in her workplace. \u201cI believe because of my work ethic, knowledge, and perseverance in standing up for myself as respectfully as possible, I have changed our organization for the better. I can see it in the little things, in the ways the men talk about women when they think I\u2019m not listening, in the ways that they now consider their interaction with the few other women in the organization. I can see them considering their words and comments before they make them. I was able to do all of this without shouting matches or rudeness, but also by not allowing myself to feel objectified, diminished, or degraded. Because, bottom line, I should not ever have to feel that way merely to keep from \u2018making conflict.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re new to IT or ready for the next level, Capella offers <\/em>information technology degree<\/em><\/a> programs to help you advance in your career. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re a woman considering a career in information technology, there are many upsides to entering the field. Here are 5 tips to keep in mind to thrive in IT.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":4038,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[325],"tags":[110],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4035"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4035"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4070,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4035\/revisions\/4070"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}