In the spirit of International Women’s Day, we wanted to reveal some exciting opportunities presented to women by the tech sector. If you’ve ever been interested in coding, this could be the time to go for it. While there is still a big gender equality gap in the industry, statistics are showing that companies with more women coders tend to be more profitable. In today’s fierce battle landscape of employers competing for great talent, women thus have an important ally on their side.
Women were the original computers
It’s a little-known fact that women played an integral part in the development of the first electronic computer in the U.S. ENIAC was developed during WWII to automate ballistic computations for the army. A significant portion of the programming work on it was done by female mathematicians as clerical labor. The programming job of today originates, in fact, with these women who were the original human “computers”! Also, the first programmer was a woman too!
Why coding can be great for women too
Find a job quickly
Demand is so high in the programming field that finding a job gives the seeker the advantage. And regardless of possible discrimination, the ability is trumping gender. You don’t even need a college degree to gain good employment. Get certified, refine your abilities, and go for it.
Diverse sectors to work in
Information technology works in tandem with other industries. This gives you many opportunities to find an area that appeals to you and focus your skills. Or if you struggle narrowing down your interests, programming abilities still leave the door open for migration between industries. Almost half the job openings for programming last year were outside the IT industry.
Fast track career growth
Technology is one of the strongest industries year to year. Last year technology led the way for global economic growth. Being part of such a dynamic industry offers constant opportunities for advancement. It’s possible to start at an entry-level position and move up to mid-level manager positions within just a few years. Don’t be surprised to see companies seeking out talented students and offering positions even before they finish their degrees.
A good salary
As tech professionals are in high demand, they are respected for their skill sets. In the competitive environment we see today, good coders are invaluable to their employers. Therefore, companies are recognizing they must treat their people well. Financial compensation packages are substantially higher than the average norm, even for junior positions. For example, software engineer positions in the U.S are offering an average of $ 100 000 depending on location, much higher than the national average salary.
A university degree is not necessarily required
Unique skills rule this industry. Yes, a certain kind of professional certification and some experience is generally required, but a 4-year degree is not. Certification programs are faster and much cheaper than studying for full degrees in Computer Science. So, with the right motivation, starting a programming career is very much within reach. If you can show an aptitude for solving problems and completing tasks, there is an entry-level position waiting for you.
Work from home flexibility
The Covid pandemic changed working conditions around the world in every sector, but perhaps the industry with the biggest potential for lasting change is technology. As we all learned to attend videoconferences using Zoom, we discovered it’s possible to work well in teams without meeting live. Especially for mothers looking to improve their work-life balance, the flexibility offered to programmers with hours and remote work are a great perk.
Even with all the exciting potential in technology, the sector still poses challenges for women. The employment situation is rapidly improving regarding gender bias, but it’s still tough to match up evenly with the advantages given to men.
Let’s take a look at a few statistics:
- In 2020, U.S. women in technology earned 2.5% less money than their male counterparts. That’s showing improvement from the 4.4% pay gap for 2019. As women are gaining confidence in their value and as competition for talent intensifies, this number will decrease further.
- Women over the age of 35 are 3.5 times more likely to still be in junior tech positions. Men tend to get promoted faster. Less than 5% of men over the age of 35 are still in junior positions. For every 100 men promoted to a managerial position, only 79 women received comparable advancement in 2019.
- In 1985, 37% of all computer science bachelors were women. Unfortunately, these numbers have dropped down to 18% for recent years.
- Women hold only 19.2% of all Fortune 500 CIO positions. There are more and more high profile, women, in executive positions but overall the numbers are still low.
- In 2021, women in tech were far more likely to experience burnout than men. 57% of women felt like they had had enough compared to just 36% of men.
What you can do to improve your programming career path
In today’s tech industry, only 25% of jobs are held by women. This number is projected to grow to 40% in the next 5-10 years. As competition increases across the applicant pool, it’s important to find ways to stand out. In a world where ability, achievements, and experience are very diverse and difficult to put down on paper, presenting the right information to the correct people is essential. CodersRank.io has introduced a service that showcases your developer profile within a system that connects you to the broader IT community and speaks their language.
It lets you tell your developer story and helps you find the colleagues and employers that match up well with your interests and capabilities. Imagine a system that displays your coding history, sorts your language proficiencies and preferences, gathers your favorite technologies, and brings in your data from multiple sources. It’s as much a platform for you to organize your professional story and help you plan your future as it is to link up members of the community. Why wouldn’t you want an easy-to-use space to straighten out your story and make yourself directly available to those looking for someone just like you.
CodersRank.io is here to help you become part of a community. Set up your profile and join us. We’re opening doors to the places you want to go with the people you want to meet.
Remember to honor the great women in your lives on March 8th. We’ve gathered a few websites that do their part helping women thrive in the coding community:
- All about bravery, sisterhood, and activism with the goal of closing the gender gap in entry-level tech jobs by 2030.
- An international editorial magazine established in 2018 and covering topics such as digitalization, diversity, and female empowerment.
- A non-profit feminist network setting up positive role models and working to inspire women to excel in technology.
- A coding school for all women and non-binary people working to create a more diverse technology industry.
- A social enterprise providing girls and women with the confidence, tools, knowledge, and support to enter, and flourish, in the world of coding!
