Women Who Code - Empowering women to excel in tech careers

This article has been adapted from the recording of WWCode Conversations #100.

Joey Rosenberg, President of Product and Communications at Women Who Code, speaks with Julie Elberfeld, the new CEO of WWCode. For this special 100th episode, they celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day by fostering dialogue about inclusion in tech and the vital importance of investing in women. They discuss Julie’s career journey, which has led her to her current role, and her visions for the future of Women Who Code.

JR: Tell us about your tech journey. How did you get into technology?

It’s one of those unexpected paths for me. I had taken some coding classes in college. I had a professor who started describing technology as a field where 80% of what you did was right documentation. That was different from what I wanted to do. I decided I’d pursue the thing I loved, which was math. I was in graduate school, and I was teaching, and I just really was uncertain of my pathway, and so I thought, “You know what, I’m going to go work for a little while and figure out what I really want to do.” I ended up taking this job, where they taught me how to code. Thirty-some years later, I am still engaged in the technology industry because of that opportunity that someone gave me and opened that door for me.

JR: Tell us about some of the technologies that you’ve worked on throughout your career.

I’m going to date myself because what they taught me in those early days was assembly language and COBOL. I have always loved the fact that I coded with COBOL. It was the programming language that Grace Hopper created. I’ve also worked in some of the more modern technologies and mostly led teams that have done the full gamut of technology. I was there at the advent of the internet, so I was part of creating one of the very first banking applications that ran on the internet, which today we just take for granted, but was a real pivotal moment in my career. I’ve seen cloud technologies and massive amounts of change in my career, both in what I’ve done personally and in the teams I’ve led.

JR: I’d love to hear a little bit about what the field was like in your early days of coding and how things have changed over time, especially for women and diverse people in the industry.

I’ve done this work for the last 10 years, really talking and advocating for women in technology and diversity in technology. The history of the technology industry is often misunderstood. Women’s History Month is an amazing time to celebrate the women of the ENIAC era, NASA, and the women who started all of this. The early coders were almost all women. When I entered the field, women were at the height of representation in the industry at nearly 40%. I entered the field at a time when I never questioned being a woman in technology. I felt welcome. I was welcomed and felt like I was a part of things. I felt like I belonged.

Technology was quite different then. It wasn’t something everybody put their hands on daily like we do now. Technology tended to be in the domain of academia, government, and large companies. People needed to learn a lot about what we were doing. Unfortunately, what has happened over time is that we have seen this decline in terms of representation of women. That sheer change in representation has changed the experience for women. Women really realize that they are under-represented and do feel some cultural differences. I’m so passionate about this because I see the contrast between those two eras and would love to see us get back to where we were in terms of how women are represented and belong in technology.

JR: How did you transition from that tech executive to someone advocating for women in tech, and in particular, that leap to the CEO of Women Who Code, which has been an exciting change for all of us here?

It’s such an incredible story, and it was so unexpected for me, just like my original journey into tech. This pivotal moment in my career was completely unexpected. It was 2014, and the industry was buzzing with information about the lack of representation of women, the culture that was starting to elevate, and women feeling like they didn’t belong and were dropping out. It well over doubled the rate of men. I heard about it from two women who were Women Who Code members. They were passionate about supporting Women Who Code and supporting some of the other activities that were going on in the industry. They saw me as an executive leader, as a role model. They came to me and said, “Hey, this is what’s happening in the industry. This is what we’re hearing from our friends who are working at other companies. They’re thinking about leaving the field entirely. We would love to see this company do some things to support these organizations and get involved in the industry conversation.”

I was completely caught off guard. I had been part of the industry at that point for over two decades. I had my head down working. I had realized that there were fewer and fewer women around me, but I hadn’t realized the systemic problem that had started to arise. I started to learn more about it. I was kind of angry, kind of upset that I had had such a great experience, such a great career, doing amazing work, creating such impact, and that other women were either not entering the field or were actually entering the field and then deciding, after all of the investment of education and time and career building, that it was so bad they needed to leave.

I took that frustration and said, I’m a leader in my company; I’m a leader in the industry. What can we do to make a difference? It all started with supporting organizations like Women Who Code and investing in women. It just turned into a movement inside of our own company. After a couple of years of leading this and being a divisional CIO, I thought I’d love to invest more of my time in this challenge. I ended up defining my job description, and fortunately, my boss, the CIO of our organization, said, “Yes, let’s do this. This is really important.” It gave me the opportunity to lean in even more and make this work 50% of my job.

My journey to Women Who Code is full circle. It’s absolutely amazing that one of the very first questions I had as a leader in supporting this work was to support Women Who Code in the very early days of the organization. I have watched the growth over time. When I heard last year that there was an opportunity to put my name in the hat for the CEO position, my heart was just like, oh, 100%. I am so excited to be part of this organization.

JR: Can you name some of the biggest challenges facing women and under-represented groups in tech today, and how can organizations like Women Who Code address them?

Women are only 26% of the industry and even less as coders. That lack of representation in and of itself creates a situation where women find themselves on teams where they may be the only women. That brings a sense of isolation and a cycle of doubt. Women are already facing some of the bias and constraints that women face in the workplace, and then being in a culture in an organization where they’re such a minority it just brings with it a lot of those challenges that make it difficult for women to stay in and really thrive. It’s why we see a tremendous drop-out rate. They sometimes get different quality assignments. They’re stereotyped into roles that feel like they’re more appropriate for women.

They end up being the people who do the PowerPoint presentations and take notes, and they only get so many opportunities to do the real technical work. As a result, they get a different level of advancement. It’s a cycle. They don’t have role models above them, and so they struggle to see themselves in senior positions.

JR: Women Who Code is an organization that’s trying to overcome some of these challenges. As a member of this community, you have access to things like great experiences at our upcoming WWCode CONNECT developer conference or WWCode Networks that you can join, content and podcasts that you have access to, coding resources led by peers, our career mentorship program, which recently launched and seemed to be really popular with our members, and year-round community-led events. Tell me a little about the value that experiences like those can offer women in tech.

Women Who Code is an amazing organization that gives women a place in the community. We can’t imagine what it is like for some women who find themselves in organizations where they might be 10% of the workforce. They might be facing all of these feelings of doubt. It’s important to find a community that is focused on women in the technology industry and finds a place where they can belong, a sense of community, that belief that it is possible to thrive in this career or to have mentors, whether they’re peer mentors or more senior women in the industry who can really support them and give them a vision.

Women come to Women Who Code because of their technology skills. They may be at a juncture in their career that they are thinking about changing careers entirely. They may be thinking about finding a new job opportunity. They may want to get into the technology field and are unsure about it. They can come to this community and find technical skills that bring them together.

Beyond that learning experience, which is a constant in the technology industry and something that Women Who Code brings to our members, they find friends, mentors, and people who will support them and help them with the interview for the next job they’re looking for. It is so much more than a learning opportunity. It is a support structure that women need to really be able to enter, stay in, and thrive in this career.

JR: What responsibilities do tech leaders and organizations like Women Who Code have for driving systemic change and creating a more inclusive and equitable future for all technologists?

I really believe firmly in all the programming that we do to support women. I also would love to see a future where we don’t have to be having this conversation, where women of all backgrounds, all underrepresented people in tech, feel like they belong and can thrive like this is a place they’re meant to be. Technology is shaping everything about our experience. It’s shaping everything about the economy. Companies depend extensively on technology to thrive in our digital economy.

We are having this challenge where we’re not bringing the entire population to the table to solve technology challenges. They have a reason to care. They have a reason to try to find the best talent and innovation, to have people of all backgrounds at the table creating solutions for everyone in our society. You can only do that if you have a diverse population sitting around the table thinking of ideas, solving problems, and creating the next products that serve the entire community and the entire world. Companies have to care at the outset and realize that this really matters. When we don’t invite part of the population in, we will have trouble finding all of the talent we need when we exclude them and drive them away.

We’re going into a new era of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data being incredibly important. We need talent more than ever and people who can also look out for technological biases. We need a diverse population.

JR: Can you share some practical tips about what companies can do to advance progress within their organization?

I leaned in during my time leading this work in my company and figured out some of the ingredients that drive systemic change. Part of it is that you have to come at it with intention. You need leaders who care about the problem and are willing to invest in the solutions that will matter to their own organization, and every organization is unique. Some of the underlying things that really matter to advancing women in our technology career are listening and knowing about the history and the problems women face in the technology industry. Know your own data. Data helps you understand where you’re doing well and where you need to think differently about the systemic solutions that could change some of the areas of opportunity for your company.

Women tell us they need the same things everyone needs in their careers. They want great assignments. They want those assignments that are valued in your organization and lead to advancement. They want equal pay. They need mentors that they can look up to, leaders who are their role models. Focusing on thinking about who’s in leadership positions in your tech organization is absolutely critical. At the end of the day, they want to be included. They want to belong. You need to look carefully at how women are experiencing your organization and address it. Find ways to make a much more inclusive culture because that benefits everyone at the end of the day.

JR: As the CEO of Women Who Code, you are really a big part of shaping the future of this industry. What’s your vision for the organization?

We have this huge community of women; hundreds of thousands of women around the globe are part of our organization. There’s so much we can learn from them, so much we can understand about their experiences. What’s the difference maker for those who thrive versus those who are struggling? What can we learn and share with companies?

This organization has three components of our future: continuing to have this incredible programming for the women that we support and love to bring more and more women to our organization at all levels of their careers. Also, I will think more about insights, research, and understanding, what it is that would make a difference, and how we can solve this problem in the long term so that we have an industry where women thrive at all levels.

It doesn’t happen without collaboration; we all must come together. It’s a complex problem. There are definitely challenges all along the pathway into technology. There are challenges inside the industry. If we worked collaboratively and brought together industry leaders who were thinking about the big ideas we could implement that would create shorter-term change than waiting for decades for things to change, we could innovate. Technology is an innovative field. We’re problem solvers in the technology field. We absolutely could come together, collaborate, and figure out a path forward that changes things for the future.

JR: Can you share a pro tip for women and people from underrepresented groups who are navigating their careers in tech and striving to overcome barriers to advancement right now? What advice would you give to them?

Express what it is that you would like to achieve. Let someone know. Often, women hold back. They’re waiting for somebody to ask them for an opportunity. We sometimes need to find out what people want in their careers. Talk to your manager. Then, figure out what the pathway is there. What are the things that you still need to work on? Get a support structure. Take some risks. Don’t wait to be a perfect match for the next opportunity. If you wait that long, you may have waited far too long. Jump in and find that next opportunity that’s going to help you advance in your career.

💝 Invest in Women in Tech and Support Women Who Code: You can empower the vital work we do to help diverse women excel and thrive in their tech careers. Give to help us raise $30,000 during Women’s History Month and inspire inclusion in tech. Donate now.

Conversations #100: Inspiring Inclusion and Celebrating International Women’s Day with Julie Elberfeld and Joey Rosenberg