Learning something new is always daunting. Entering a new field having just learnt a new skill is intimidating. How do you sell yourself when you feel you’re just a prototype, an MVP? I don’t know exactly how I am going to do this, but luckily I have my Systers to help.
A couple of days ago I attended a Systers meetup at Thoughtworks. It was run by the wonderful ladies from the US team. I had heard of Systers, the Anita Borg Institute and the Grace Hopper Celebration from my Twitterers across the pond. I had always assumed it was a US-centric thing. But not for much longer!
It looks like they are breaking out of the US and forming local groups to support systers world-wide. What excites me about this move is the inclusion of not just programmers or women in the tech industry but women in STEM. It’ll be great to get advice from women in many fields and at different stages of their career. It is exactly what I need right now.
A major benefit of being in the systers circle is knowing which companies value women in the workplace by partnering with them. For me, that’s a great place to start when deciding where to begin my career as a fully fledged programmer. Companies like Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Thoughtworks have signed up to work with the systers network and it looks like they will be hosting events.
Follow me on Twitter and I will post them.
