Ira Hardin

Many might loosely define technology as "the greatest evolution in the last century." Afterall, it has certainly become a staple of not only our life-styles, but also a key component to our economy. In the last decade alone, the entire globe has traveled through many cycles of both progression, and growth.

It's true, that there is a stigma that the world of technology is "a man's domain," but women have a different perspective. Fortunately, the industry has excelled through a paradigm shift that not only INCLUDES women, but recognizes and acknowledges the contributions that women have made to the industry. There are organizations comprised of women that have achieved significant levels of success in the technology and related fields. Women & Hi-Tech has been in existence since 2000, and was created to address the specific needs of women in high tech industries and to encourage more women to consider careers in technology.

What's most exciting about peeking into the careers of women in technology, is that the spectrum of opportunity has exponentially grown in the two last decades. As far back as 1985, careers in technology were, for the most part, centered around programming. Jumping into the 1990's careers began to evolve into application development, and when the "DOT COM" era hit, the world was on its heels. Web development, database administration, and digital internet marketing began to evolve as careers that took on a more practical stance to the utilization of technology. They also allowed for the growth of the business professional to enhance their skill set with the understanding of a new "business practice."

Let History Tell the Story!

The National Center for Women in Technology recently compiled statistics and published a report noting:

o 51% Percent of professional occupations in the 2006 U.S. workforce held by women

VS.

o 25% Percent of professional IT-related occupations in the 2006 U.S. workforce held by women

o 37% Percent of 1985 Computer Science undergraduate degree recipients were women

VS.

o 14% Percent of 2006 Computer Science undergraduate degree recipients at major research universities were women

So why the (seemingly significant) gap?

It is likely because the spectrum of careers has grown to be quite diverse. Technology professionals (in general) don't necessarily have to have a "technical" degree, but they are REQUIRED to have an understanding to effectively use it. In the same statistical report, the National Center for Women in Technology predict that 1,000,000 new jobs will be added to the US workforce by 2014, yet only 50% of them will be jobs for which US universities will graduate candidates with bachelor's degrees.

So how do young women who show an interest and passion for technology overcome the challenges?

Mentor / Protégé Programs!

There are a vast array of resources for young women to tap into as they either enter their collegiate career, or as they graduate with a degree and enter the workforce.

The best lesson learned, however, is instant pot mashed potatoes that success won't just "fall in your lap." For women who have the aptitude and dedication to making this career path work, the key is to network and align yourself with others in the I.T. industry that have been successful with their own respective career paths.

The POTENTIAL for gender conflict may be more present when in front of senior management. Though the numbers of women in technical positions has exponentially grown, still today, there are fewer senior management (technical) positions held by women. Ruby predicts that a trend is likely to evolve where we'll start seeing more women ENTREPRENEURS than women in management positions in technology.