THE GIRL WAY TO CODE

Growing up, Sandra loved handling electrical problems in the house; although she wasn’t so great at it, to an extent she could solve some of the electrical problems at home. She was so certain that she would become an electrical engineer, however, her parents were of the opinion that she should choose another career because she is a girl. Due to the discouragement, she got from her parents, Sandra had to focus on another career path because she was limited in her career choice.
The question now is, should the male and female have different dreams or aspiration in their career? I don’t think so!

The technology sector is one of such sectors that might have been presumed to be a male thing; examining this sector we can notice that the rate of female in this industry is really low. The world is developing and things are changing! So, whether you are male or female and you have the same mindset, just keep on reading and you will learn a thing or two facts about women and coding.

WHAT DOES CODING MEAN?

Coding can also be referred to as programming, it is the use of computer programing languages to build a website, application or software. These languages are used to give the computer instructions and these instructions are called the code. Through this code, the computer creates something, it could be a webpage, site, or even a picture. Most times, Individuals see it as a mix of art and science because it involves both analytical and creative skills. Some examples of programming languages include HTML, JavaScript, and PHP.

HOW IMPORTANT IS PROGRAMMING TO THE WORLD

Just for a moment imagine the world without any technology, no websites, no social media, no candy crush, the list could go on and on. Literarily there will be no advancement, right? So its importance cannot be overemphasized!

Therefore, as much as the tech companies need programming, other sectors also need programming; for example the accountants and designers. So as the world keeps evolving and developing there is more need for individuals to plunge into coding.

ARE WOMEN IMPORTANT IN THE TECH WORLD?

Everyone has something unique to bring to the table and research shows that diverse teams perform better. This diversity includes gender, race, and ethnicity; this is so because basically we all have different experiences in life and that contributes to the way we handle things. Therefore, different perspectives on projects will definitely result in innovative results.h

Women also need role models in the sectors. I happened to read about a reputable company in Nigeria and I found out that the CEO of that company is a woman. Just knowing that actually made me know that it is possible to lead certain sectors as a woman.

So with female role models in the sector, it will definitely encourage girls to know that they can learn and understand coding.

HOW GIRLS CAN DELVE INTO THE CODING WORLD

Start young

Programming should be one of the basic subjects in school to be taught to our children; children at this age learn at a faster rate. Also, it could help the children and even not just the female ones know that they can do it. At this age most times they are not really encountered with the problem of stereotype.

Children spend more time at home than in school, they should be taught about technology and how this has contributed to the development of societies.

Stop the prejudice

We should stop the prejudice, from the home to schools and even our environment, there is so much discrimination between the genders. A girl should act this way but a guy is permitted to act a different way, after all, it is a man’s world right? Well in this case no.

The girl child should be encouraged to take such steps into the tech world. We shouldn’t stop the passion, instead, we are meant to fuel it.

Exposure

The girl child should not be stopped from going to school, her place is not in the kitchen! They should be exposed to technologies as this will help their imaginations. Also when taught in school there should be a balance between both theory and practical.

Women should be exposed to materials that push them and help them know they can achieve what they set their mind to do. For example, the internet is one of the ways through which women can get exposure. This can be done by searching on the internet about women in technology, although the rate is low, women will still believe more.

CONCLUSION

After the above has been set right will you as lady still delve into the tech world? The responsibility of getting women into the tech world does not just lay on others but also on themselves. As much as the above factors are important basically knowing what you want and taking the bold step to go for it in the midst of these obstacles makes you even strong.

Some examples of women are in the tech industry despite everything include; Amy Chang the founder of Accompany, Jesse Genet the founder of Lumi, Tina Sharkey the founder of Boundless and Emily Weiss the founder of Glossier. These women took the risk and they are great at what they do.

At the end of it all “do it afraid”, that is the girl way to code.

Victoria Pam