Why Women Can and Should Be Software Developers

In the world of tech and specifically software development, there is a vicious contest. For example, there have been persistent undertones on whether the developer salary for girl coders should not match that of the male counterparts.  This is the typical stereotype narrative that tech jobs are meant for men. As a result, women in this ecosystem have to work twice as hard compared to their male counterparts to earn respect.

Let’s face it, women are a special species. They have to sacrifice their careers to take care of the family, get dictated upon on what to wear, and even how they should behave.  This has created the perception of inferiority irrespective of their career stages.

Good news is that women are breaking free from this notion despite these vicious contests. The Development space is experiencing parity which has resulted in the upsurge of women software developers.

If you are an enthusiastic lady with a knack for technology and aspiring to be a software developer, you have come to the right place.

Who is a Software Developer?

A software developer helps businesses improve efficiency and provide better services by creating and integrating software systems. Female tech graduates will appreciate the multiple job openings in this ecosystem. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has indicated that software developers will experience a 13% employment growth between now and 2024. Applications software developers, on the other hand, will see a 19% growth during the same period.

This demand is driven by a tech talent shortage, and a need to replace individuals looking to advance their technical skills, and increased use of computer technology.

In the US, the annual software development manager salary in 2018 is  $133,612 while the average software development engineer salary is $118,855.

Do Men Make Good Software Developers Compared to Women?

The answer to this question is a resounding NO! Woe unto you if you thought that men are better coders than women. According to a study published recently, women were found to be superior in coding compared to their male counterparts although this only happens when they conceal their gender.

The study focused on 3m pull requests that were submitted on GitHub. Despite the prejudice against women, the results showed that the approval rate of codes written by women was 78.6% compared to the 74.6% approval rate from men affiliated codes.

True to that, Lior Shub one of the most successful female developers says women can perform just like men or even better than them. “If you want to start coding-start, don’t let anyone discourage you.”

Another accomplished developer Lorna Jane says, “I love programming. It gives me the power to create things and improve my surroundings. Heck, I am even married to a very talented programmer”.

Popular Female Developers

There are a good number of female developers who have positively contributed to software and web development. This is just the tip of the iceberg to help inspire you.

Julia Liuson

She is the “Madonna” of the software development world. If you are a frequent user of the VB.NET developer or C#, you owe your improved productivity to her.  However, her biggest contribution is apparent in Visual Studio widely used by Windows application developers. It has been hailed as the best IDE on the market.

Her career began in 1992 when she joined Microsoft in 1992 fresh from college.

Natalia Burina

With a career spreading over 15 years and resume stacked with Utopian achievements, Natalia has the pedigree of a modern day high-tech superstar.

She holds a degree in applied math and computer science from the University of Washington. Natalia has worked for various blue-chip companies like Microsoft, eBay, and Facebook in multiple capacities.

Marissa Mayer

Although Yahoo! has experienced its fair share of hard times, the impact of the former CEO Marissa Mayer cannot be downplayed.

Climbing the ladder from being a developer, she became the CEO in 2013 which is a major accomplishment. The Stanford University graduate is on record as being the first female engineer at Google and spearheaded successful projects like Gmail, Google News, Google Maps, and Google Earth.

Final Thoughts

Software development is a great field for women to pursue. On top of making the world better, the compensation in this field is worth consideration. As a woman, simply saying that you will do it will continue hurting female developers who are already doing it. If you can’t afford to pay for training, there are self-taught developers who are doing great. A mere Google search on how to create software will surprise you on the number of free resources available online. If you are already familiar with different software development methodologies to actualize projects, you are already headed in the right direction. To successfully navigate this field, pay close attention to the organizational culture of the companies you are looking to work with and what tickles them to hire a software developer. Some have a male-oriented culture and "brogrammer" atmosphere right from the recruitment process. The interviews are riddled with masculine terms like competitive environment which is something any strong lady like you can overcome.

Happy Software Development Journey!