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Young Women Encouraged to Go For IT
An anonymous reader writes "Wednesday Microsoft Canada's vice president of developer and platform evangelism encouraged 9th grade girls to head for an IT career with a presentation that debunked key myths. Apparently IT isn't geeky or socially isolating. From the article: "Some issues (the girls) brought up included fears that their friends will think (working in IT) is a geeky thing to do, and that IT work is not very social...They were concerned that there were limitations for women in this area of technology, and they felt there is a stigma associated with IT in terms of it not being a very exciting place to work."
"For the next twenty years I'll sit in a big box called a cubicle. It's like a restroom stall but with lower walls. I spend most of my time hoping the electromagnetic fields from my office equipment aren't killing me."
The coolest voice ever.
Some issues (the girls) brought up included fears that their friends will think (working in IT) is a geeky thing to do
If someone is going to be influenced by what their friends think, perhaps we should let them be influenced. Many consider going into IT to be geeky. If you're immature enough to let your friends stop you from going into a particular market, then maybe your not really ready for any serious market and should work in a market that requires next to no maturity (I hear McDonalds is looking for people to hire).
Perhaps cause the girls in question are 9 years old and are more concerned with what color cell phone will best match their mini-skirt so they can look like a 30 year old crack whore in the mall.
Which brings me back to your topic, What is wrong with women?
I haven't noticed a stigma with the several girls here at work. I have however noticed that if any one of them ever runs into a problem in their code or admining in general, they generally have half a dozen guys fighting to give them a hand ;-)
Once your High Elf builds up enough EXP points and you've found the right Star Trek .sig for your posts, all these fears will melt away.
Wednesday Microsoft Canada's vice president of developer and platform evangelism encouraged 9th grade girls to head for an IT career
In a related story, Microsoft was seeking ways to reduce its IT costs by about 25%.
Now, as an alpha geek (Slashdot on Saturday? guilty)
Dude, that just gets you into the club. Don't expect to be elected president.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
What a backward society. Here in America men and women can return to work within mere days of the birth of the new child. For the first couple years of the child's life they leave him or her with strangers at an all day care facility. What a wonderfully uplifiting, social experience for the child. After that, our advanced technology has allowed us to use television, video games, and an excess of overly competitive sports and pointless hobbies to develop the child's intellect, keep them from trouble, and raise them to be wonderful members of society. Caring for your children directly is such a thing of the past, leave it to professionals is what I say.