My Expericence On The Importance Of Female Mentors In Tech (or any area really)

Two years ago I left a career in communications because I finally knew what I wanted to do with my life: I wanted to code and build things, to create. Why it took me so long to find that out? Bear with me, while I explain the journey that will support that title up there.

First I must explain that no one in my family comes from the technology industry, my contact with computers came from TV, movies and school only. I remember the excitement and the feeling that everything was possible when our first home computer arrived, back in 1995. I was suddenly and finally in a world that made sense to me, where I could read all day about things I didn’t have access to in the real world. Where I read tutorials, created things and was part of communities, I knew then, I was not alone in my way of seeing the world.

The sound of that old dial-up internet connection still makes my heart beat faster. Travel back in time and hit play. Oh… all the feelings.

I grew up surfing the Internet, building sites in the now jurassic Geocities , playing DOOM II , Duke Nukem 3D and geting songs using Napster, Kazaa and Soulseek. ICQ was the norm. I surrounded myself with the wonders of the internet. It was a magical world and I was part of it.

For the sake of this narrative, let’s fast forward some years, to that brief and decisive moment of having to choose a major in college. Just thinking about it makes me freak out a little. I chose Journalism. (Where is this going? You ask).

Well, it never occurred to me to choose Computer Science or any tech related field. Why the hell not, right? I’ve been building websites since I was 13 years old, Hackers was one of my favorite movies (still is) and I knew a bit about that world …then why did it never cross my mind to consider it as a career, as my future?

It turns out that is was because I couldn’t relate to it. I did’t know ANY woman that was in any way related to the tech world.

I .Had .Never. Ever. Met. One. Woman.

So I couldn’t imagine myself, not even in fantasy, as being a part of that world professionally.

Also I did not fit any image I had back then of what a software developer was supposed to look like (a guy). A nerdy guy. Or even of what a female programmer (hacker, really) was supposed to look like: Angelina Jolie, if you were wondering.

So as it goes it took a life experience to change things. I graduated Journalism, started focusing on social media and marketing and got an internship in the USA. And my journey begun.

I present to you: my first mentor and role model

I was for a few months under the wings of an awesome boss woman named Morgan Joy. And for the first time in my life I had a role model/mentor. If she ever reads this she will be snickering about the role model thing.

For the first time I met a women working in a tech field. And she ended up being this amazing human being and a great boss. She knew how to listen, how to share credits about an idea, how to inspire and give support. She kicked ass on the tech side of things too. Oh, and she was also pregnant at the time. Yeap.

It was then that it clicked for me. A female role model. I needed that, to fully understand that it is real. That there are real women out there working and coding and being all around awesome. And that I could be one of those. I wanted to be one of those.

When my marketing internship ended and I came back to Brazil, I started a new degree in Information Systems (the only way I thought I could get into the tech industry). And after a few internships in the tech industry I finally started to code.

Meanwhile, because I couldn’t find any groups in my city that supported women in tech, I started the
Women Who Code group in my city here in Brazil. Now we also have the Google Developers Group inicitive Women Tech Makers(yes!!, the community is growing).

Still, I knew that was not enough to help out other girls, so I was a part of organizing a pilot program in which we taught programming classes to underprivileged girls and it was an AMAZING experience. All I wanted was for them to know and see that it was possible, for them to consider it even if for just a moment.

I wanted those girls to learn still young what I learned when I was 25. That being a girl does not limit what you can be and do. Specially in the tech field.

If you ever have the opportunity to be that role model woman, please, be her. For I guarantee that there is at least one girl out there that doesn’t even know that what she is seeking for, is just that: you.

For you to be like a mirror that reflects the possibility of a future she can relate to. As a girl.

Forever I will thank that awesome woman that changed my life by just being herself and I’ll tell this story for anyone who will want to listen and read it. For I wish with all of heart that someone might consider becoming a mentor to a girl because of it.

Links : )

There are great initiatives that promote the idea of women mentorhip and empowerment, in case you are interested here are a few links:

GlassBreakers  —  It aims to be a peer mentorship community for professional women.

Women Who Code — is an international non-profit that is dedicated to inspiring women to excel in technology careers. And conecting those women with each other. Check if there is a chapter next to you, if not, what do you think about starting one?

Here is: The Portuguese version of this article.