In the field of technology – bravery is key, and perfection is almost impossible.
When you are working in technology, you are going to break things. Big things! And when you do you will make people upset. And you will feel horrible about it. There will be times that one misstep – a click of a mouse or a few keystrokes – will render hundreds or even hundreds of thousands of users without service. It takes bravery and courage to pick yourself up off the virtual battleground, tend to your emotional wounds, learn from your mistakes and continue to your battle with the technology beast.
And technology changes quickly. Very quickly. During the course of your career, you will become an expert of specific technologies. You will feel like the master of your domain: a god or goddess of your technology universe. Eventually, this expertise will become obsolete and you will need to learn new skills to stay on top of your mastery. I have seen many men and women render themselves unmarketable because they clung to their comfort technology. The best Engineers are not good at a technology, they are good at learning technology. The Engineers that continually jump into new intellectual battles, feet first, without fear of failure, usually have long and prosperous careers.
This battleground of technology may be harder for women to navigate than men. In the Ted Talk below Reshma Suajani, founder of Girls Who Code talks about how our society raises boys to be brave and girls to be perfect. She describes how women are not conditioned to try things unless we are guaranteed perfection. And she contributes this to why women are underrepresented in fields such as technology:
“What’s going on? Well, at the fifth grade level, girls routinely outperform boys in every subject, including math and science, so it’s not a question of ability. The difference is in how boys and girls approach a challenge. And it doesn’t just end in fifth grade. An HP report found that men will apply for a job if they meet only 60 percent of the qualifications, but women, women will apply only if they meet 100 percent of the qualifications. 100 percent. This study is usually invoked as evidence that, well, women need a little more confidence. But I think it’s evidence that women have been socialized to aspire to perfection, and they’re overly cautious.”
And it makes sense. A woman who is striving for constant perfection; who always proceed cautiously may not survive the battle of technology. The mistake that renders users inoperable would cripple the psyche of a person who is not a risk taker by nature. The constant discomfort involved in learning new technologies would wear on someone that has a fear of not always being perfect.
If we want to see more badass women in technology, we need to promote bravery to young women. F**k being perfect, just roll up your sleeves and go into battle! The woman warrior has a place in the battle of technology. We just need a little less perfection and a lot more bravery. Spread the word!
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