It’s always wonderful and inspiring to see well-known publications recognizing the accomplishments of women in this male-dominated field. Take, for instance, eWeek’s list of the 10 Most Powerful Women in IT. Among those recognized on the list is Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, after whom our annual Grace Hopper Conference is named. Hopper is credited with inventing the compiler and was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1991. The other list makers include Padmasree Warrior, Executive Vice President and CTO of Motorola; Shona Brown, Senior Vice President of Google; Meg Whitman, CEO of eBay; and, Diane Green, current CEO of VMWare.
Advice from those who have navigated the treacherous climb to the top can be a source of inspiration as well. A ComputerWorld article talks to four women and writes about how they not only stayed in IT, but flourished. In the article, these successful women share their experiences and offer advice on job hunts, balancing home-family life, and making tough choices. “You can balance an IT career with your home life, but it means making choices that are true to your priorities and understanding the trade-offs,” Katy Dickinson (Director, Business Process Architecture, CTO at Sun Microsystems) said in the article. “‘Having it all’ is a fantasy.”
What advice or words of inspiration do you have for your fellow female colleagues? What stories can you share from your own experiences? Email us and we may use your advice and stories in an upcoming article. (All information can be published anonymously.)