Last week, I attended Grace Hopper Conference ‘16 for the first time. As a graduating senior, the career fair was a haven for finding jobs at all of the top technology companies in the country or starting a career in academia. There were talks from some of the most successful people in the field, giving everything from business advice to technical tutorials. What makes this conference different is that it focuses on college women in technology.
In 2015, we learned that despite our best efforts, the number of women in tech is still decreasing. When speaking to women at the conference, I began to piece together why. Many women talked about how intimidating spaces could be when the most outspoken individuals were men, particularly white males. Many women also talked about how their self consciousness about their technical skills kept them from applying for jobs. From these few conversations, I realized that many women just wanted a supportive environment.
STEM, particularly, computer science has become a study with individual validation. You build something and through your skills you assure yourself that you are doing well. It lacks the external validation many humanities courses require because the only feedback you need is one from the machine. I think the field is starting to become more community based and many women are seeking encouragement from their peers. Conferences like Grace Hopper, bring women together and help each other to gain confidence in their abilities.
I also saluted the faculty, full-time employees and non-female identifying students who came to support the conference. I think having support from those outside of a targeted group helps those within that group to feel closer. I am very grateful to Amherst for letting me attend the conference and I hope to do my part in the future to allow more women like me to have this experience.