Women returners in tech

[MotherOffCod]

Is anyone else noticing a trend for women returning to work after child-rearing years getting into deep geek tech?

I’m my area of the UK it’s a big thing, and seems to be escalating.

Bloody brilliant area to get skilled up in once your kids are older and you’re ready to dig in again.

Anyone else in this sphere? My feeling is that it’s a major opportunity for smart women who’ve been out or the workplace for a while, but have time and opportunity to re-train in exciting new fields with high demand and low supply.

So lovely to find other techy women here who have also dived in post child raising.

I feel like there’s very little awareness of this as a later-life career move.

For context, I’ve always been a bit techy, but never worked in IT as such. After a reboot at 45 from a standing start, I’m now world leading in my tech field. If feels weird saying that, but it’s true.

I’d love for there to be more awareness raising amongst women like us, with brains, times, and ready to get stuck in.

I honestly feel like I’ve hit my prime after a lifetime of getting nowhere and making very little money, and want to be part of helping more women returners find that.

Especially in rural areas where there’s often bugger all well paid work locally.

Covid has accelerated digital transformation by a good 10 years, hence the massive surge in demand for skills, as every business other world scrambles to get online, and then realises you can do cool stuff that makes their business better!

Totally agree Boopear about the “soft skills” being relevant and valuable.

Lots of marketing is around understanding human emotions, and small business teams need nurturing as they move into new tech too.

There’s also a massive amount of creative problem solving, and endless patience and persistence, and goodness knows parents get good at that!

I feel like I'm in a time warp here... women are into soft skills, emotions, nurturing, patience and are assumed to be parents... whilst technical skills are seen as male...

@AssassinatedBeauty I feel (ha!) that my particular point may have been a tad misinterpreted. Based on my experience, it would seem that women can drive added value to an IT workforce. Not instead of techy - the value proposition is techy + (as is often the case) slightly more developed soft skills that, as a combined skill toolset, work very well in some IT roles.

(Not sure about the parent point though! I actually know loads of very lovely hands on dads )

AssasinatedBeauty that’s absolutely not what was said or meant.

Parenting, which is what I have been doing for many years as a stay at home mum, develops those skills, (creative problem solving, patience and persistence, in case you missed them on skim-reading) which are valuable and relevant to automation tech roles that are highly paid.

Stay at home dads would also develop those skills and find them valuable.

But we were talking about women returner to work after career breaks, and why they’re so highly valued (and paid) in tech. Women returners have mostly been parenting, and have these highly valuable skills that make them worth more than the fellas.

The soft skills alongside the tech mastery is what makes us so valuable and sought after, as it’s largely a combination that’s been absent in the industry so far.

And that has impact on the pay gap now and how it trends in the future.

Where are women doing this training? Is it costly?

Genuine question because whenever I've seen job site ads for 'get a new career in IT' most seem like dodgy set ups.

A couple of years ago I did respond to a MN job ad aimed at women for retraining in the field of cyber security and got zero response to my email enquiry.

Many years ago I completed just over half a Masters in Information Systems but ended up dropping out because I became pregnant and couldn't fund the rest of it. I meant to return and wish I had but too many complications got in the way and then it was too late. I suppose now there would be more flexible learning and perhaps an online option but this was way back in 2003.

@MotherOffCod "skim reading"... no. I read it several times quite carefully.

Could you link to the Digital Women Facebook page you mentioned? I found one, but it was all about social media, "empowerment", brand awareness, Facebook ads, all in pink. I don't think that's the one you were referencing?

I’m totally self taught using free resources from the tech companies themselves, and communities on Facebook. No paid training at all.

Time, curiosity, and a small business you can practice with is all you need. And a computer with internet, obviously. Loads of SMEs will pay you as you learn too, because they can’t find anyone and need to create the skills in their own team.

There are a lot more reputable training routes around now though. Digital Women is a fabulous organisation (nowt to do with me by the way, I just rate their work) and I know a few really good VA training organisations.

m.facebook.com/groups/374529799648851?view=info should help you find it. There are a lot of regional and national versions with similar names - it’s a movement globally.

Thanks @MotherOffCod
I mentioned this to my niece tonight when we went for a swim, I will share the Facebook link.

Anyone interested in this area can start out as a project manager, or PM support. You will pick up the techy stuff really quickly. Communication skills are really important. I'd look up agile Project management and do a qualification in that. Register with employment agencies, and tailor your CV to pm. It's really rewarding. In achievement and salary!

If any of you are returning to careers as FPGA engineers, you can pretty much name your price because they are like hen's teeth (voice of bitter experience trying to recruit them).

DevOps is another area with strong demand atm. We could use one, but can never find any applicants.

This is a really interesting thread. About to embark on a return to work after years as a SAHM and things akin to my old role aren't looking very interesting or well paid (salaries I swear have gone down since I left).

Encouraging stuff.
I've been plugging away as a scientific software developer for over 35 years now, so not quite the demographic you're focussed on. There do seem to be more women over the years in my field too.

This is a really interesting thread. Do you think that home working has reduced the difficulties that women have faced in this sector? (Harassment, office"banter" etc.)

@Tuberoses

Things have changed - a bit. In some places. We've just recruited a couple of seriously amazing female devs. However, as a technology function, over 50% of out SLT are female (inc me). My direct reports are 50% female. It definitely changes the ethos and means you don't have to be stuck working remotely and anonymously to succeed.

I guess I would recommend doing job searches online - to see what entry level stuff is available in your area (unless you are ok moving - but it’s a bit hard if you’ve got a mortgage and kids).

There are technical and non-tech roles in IT and software. It’s really broad - do intro edx/online courses in some of the fields you’re interested in with jobs in your area. If you’re stuck, python is commonly used and has a big community (and lots of articles if you run into problems).

@EndoplasmicReticulum

I think that's helpful. But there is a flip side if you have an office-based contingent where the permanently remote workers can be invisible, over-looked for promotion, or not seen as management material. All of which can proportionately disadvantage women.

Do you think that home working has reduced the difficulties that women have faced in this sector?
As a woman who left the IT sector a decade ago largely because I faced discrimination and toxic masculinity, I’d say yes. I’d be more willing to return if I wasn’t in an office full of men.

Shamelessly following for career tips

Following! This is a really interest thread. Thanks for providing some food for thought and actionable jumping off points to do some research. I've requested to join the FB group Digital Women too.

Remote working has been a thing in tech work for a long time now, so this sector is way ahead on that front.

I have clients I’ve been working with for 7 years now that I’ve never met in person, and almost all of them are running their businesses from their homes, all around the world.

This is part of the liberating and equalising. If work is remote, asyncronous and freelance, as well as self-taught or learnt as needed, it becomes a more level playing field for entry to women returners.

Dublin is a big tech hub that’s recruiting like crazy for a number of global tech companies. If I were looking for entry level tech work with in-role training as an employee, I’d start looking there.