Pursuing a degree or career in STEM as a woman can be difficult. Not only does it require a mass amount of technical knowledge, but those who are traditionally underrepresented in this field often have to deal with discrimination and also lack role models who look like them. But thanks to the internet, our role models are no longer limited to just those in our immediate circles. These six women fearlessly pursue careers in STEM but also share invaluable information about their industry and experiences through the digital content that they create. Whether you are currently a STEM student or just curious about this field, any of these women are bound to educate and inspire you!
- Physics on Pointe
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First up, we have Dr.Merritt Moore, an academic physicist with a Ph.D. in quantum physics from Oxford, as well as a professional ballerina. My favorite thing about her is how she excels in both art and science. She challenges the status quo that having a career in these fields is mutually exclusive. Her Instagram feed, both beautiful and inspiring, is always a good motivator to never limit your passions.
- Samzee Codes
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Sam from Samzee Codes is a Machine Learning Lead and educational content creator based in Amsterdam. I love how passionate she is about educating on the rapidly growing field of data science. Her Instagram feed is so informative, both in terms of the field of data science, as well as her experience as a Black woman working in the tech industry. She has several resources on her blog and YouTube channel as well. If you are interested in learning more about data science, I would highly recommend saving a bunch of her resources so that you can reference them later.
- Maya Loves Code
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Maya is a front-end software engineer who codes primarily in Python, JavaScript, and Java. My favorite part about Maya is her energy, as she is genuinely so passionate and excited about coding which shows through her content. She makes a lot of short videos on Instagram and Tik Tok that teach you the fundamentals of coding but also has longer videos on various topics. This includes resources for learning how to code, how to negotiate your salary as a software engineer, and the lifestyle of a software engineer on her YouTube channel. Her YouTube channel and Instagram feed are both entertaining and easy to understand, so I would highly recommend checking her out if you are interested in computer science.
- The Come Up
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Bukola from The Come Up is a self-taught software engineer who makes digital content on software development and personal finance. The aspect of Bukola’s story which I find the most inspiring is how she effectively transitioned to becoming a software engineer as someone with a political science degree and no Computer Science boot camp experience. In her videos, she balances calm, pragmatic information and advice with the right amount of motivation to help you get to work. If you are interested in pursuing a career as a software engineer without any formal technical training (or honestly, even if you do have a CS degree), The Come Up YouTube channel is an absolute must-watch.
- Mayuko
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Mayuko is a digital content creator whose goal is to help people navigate the tech industry. She was previously an iOS engineer at Intuit, Patreon, and Netflix, so she has a lot of valuable insight into working in the tech industry in Silicon Valley. I love how chill and positive Mayuko’s videos are, where she gives really honest advice on learning how to code and navigate a career in tech. If you are looking to gain advice from someone who has worked at multiple tech companies in Silicon Valley, you should definitely check out Mayuko’s YouTube channel.
- SwangSwang
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Last but not least, we have Sarah Wang of SwangSwang. Sarah is a hardware engineer at Microsoft in Seattle. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and also minored in Computer Science and Entrepreneurship. I really love how Sarah is so passionate about sharing her insights on career development, life in your early twenties as someone working in corporate America, while showcasing a good work-life balance. Speaking of work-life balance, Sarah also has a ton of side projects going on alongside her full-time job and it’s so inspiring to see someone actively pursue their passions outside of work. Sarah’s YouTube channel and Instagram page are an absolute must if you are interested in seeing the life of a hardware engineer in Seattle.
I hope you found some new role models!