Ooochie: A Ruby Developer’s Journal

Ahh, everyone's favorite topic: Women in Technology. O'reilly has recently been putting out essays on this subject, and I found them to be a decent read. Frankly, I'm a little sick of hearing/talking about women in tech, but I'll give you the run down of my thoughts since it seems to be such a popular issue.

So the conclusion I've reached for myself is that it's time to quit analyzing the situation to death and to just get moving and start trying different things- sort of an open-ended experiment. My first goal is to be more visible, so I can set an example and inspire someone else, just as Mrs. Roberts did for me.from Inspiration: Pass It On by Gabrielle Roth

Good point. I totally agree that this has become an over-analyzed issue. Let's stop talking about it and do something! Women currently involved in technology can use their own experiences to encourage the younger generations by becoming role models.

We need to change the geek stereotype and start showcasing that geek girls are the hip and cool people in society.from Be a Part of Influencing the Future by Nelly Yusupova

Is she serious? Certainly the issue does not revolve around whether or not being a geek is "hip" or "cool." Sure, I'm all for educating young women about the tech field, but let's stay away from labels like these. Show them all they can do with a degree in computer science and get them interested that way. I don't think making it a popularity contest is going to get us anywhere.

I truly believe that personal responsibility is one of the biggest goals towards which we should all strive. I believe that you only really grow up when you voluntarily take full responsibility for your own actions and outcomes, good and bad- and kvetching about women in technology is the antithesis of personal responsibility. No matter how you slice it, the arguments of something must be done; help must be given; someone must change!; or women fail because of something men do all feature the underlying assumption that someone else has power over you or insert-allegedly-marginalized- group-here. After all, a person must have power over you to grant you special treatment or quash your efforts.from I Don't Like Articles about Women in Technology by Amy Hoy

Amy makes a great point. Yet while I agree that taking personal responsibility is truly something to strive for, I think she's going a little overboard. Sometimes there really are factors that we cannot personally control. I can't control it if I attend a job interview don't get hired because some prick doesn't think women belong in tech. Sure, I can fight the urge to complain and get on with my life, but the fact is, that situation is beyond my control. There are clear barriers women face, yet I agree that we should re-evaluate where we place our efforts. (i.e. A little less talk and a lot more action.)

So far the essays have been a good read, and I believe there are more coming. Some were more interesting than others, but I always like to hear what other people have to say. These are just some quotes jumped out at me as I read through. Let me know what you think, too.