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Women in Tech: Topics, Resources & Community Groups

women in tech
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Resources for Women in Tech and STEM 

Women make up almost half of the U.S. workforce, but are still highly underrepresented in several areas of the tech and STEM industries, especially for women of color. If you’re a woman in tech looking to launch or progress in your tech career, here’s some women-focused media resources and learning courses to get you started.

 

Women in Tech Blogs 

These blogs can get you up to speed on happenings in today’s tech world.

Women Who Code Blog

Women Who Code is an international non-profit organization that was created to support and empower women in tech careers by providing networking and scholarship opportunities. Women Who Code’s blog presents various pieces ranging from career navigation to niche tech topics, all from the perspective of women in the industry.

Girls in Tech Blog

Girls in Tech is an organization that seeks to promote diversity and women’s voices in the tech sphere. Its blog features pieces on everyday tips for the workplace, women-centric career development skills and spotlight posts on specific organization members.

BUILT BY GIRLS Blog

BUILT BY GIRLS is a platform for young female and non-binary individuals to seek STEM guidance, connect with a community and receive access to certain tech tools. The BUILT BY GIRLS blog is filled with insights into for young women navigating personal and professional life, covering everything from how to budget better to how to deal with microaggressions in the workplace.

Tania Rascia’s Blog

For a more personal perspective, this blog gives an inside look into the life of Tania Rascia, a software developer and engineer working in Chicago, Illinois. Throughout her posts, Rascia shares software tutorials and knowledge categorized from topics like JavaScript to UX design.

 

Books for Women in Tech

Below is a list of books written for women in tech and startups that offer tips and perspectives for progressing in the industry. 

Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley by Emily Chang

In her book, Emily Chang shows readers the inherently sexist “bro” culture that permeates the startup scene. Chang’s deep dive into Silicon Valley’s dangerous “work-at-all-costs” culture shows how the tech scene still leaves women behind and promotes a male-dominated environment.

Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change by Ellen Pao

This book shares the author’s personal story about suing a powerhouse Silicon Valley VC firm and exposing their discriminatory and misogynistic practices. Though Pao ended up losing the suit, she brought forward an important discussion about gender in the workplace and the lengths we still need to go to prevent discrimination.

Female Innovators at Work: Women on Top of Tech by Danielle Newnham

Newnham discusses the experiences and successes of female entrepreneurs in a largely male-dominated tech scene, interviewing a range of CEOs, founders and inventors, who all share their insights and advice on how to navigate the tech world while being a woman.

Pivot: The Only Move That Matters is Your Next One by Jenny Blake

Author Jenny Blake reveals that the success of your next career move depends on your ability to determine your best move. Women looking to make a career shift must strategize their biggest strengths to ensure that their next career puts them in position to achieve their wildest goals. 

More for Women in TechWhat Is Gender Bias in the Workplace?

 

Women in Tech Podcasts

Let’s be honest — podcasts are the best. They’re concise, informative, binge-worthy and great for professionals on-the-go. Check out these podcasts that inspire and celebrate women in tech and the greater workplace:

Women in Tech Podcast 

The Women in Tech Podcast is a talk show for women engineers, designers, founders and more from the tech industry to share their career experiences and how they got to where they are now. The podcast airs one to two episodes each week and is hosted by WeAreLATech founder Espree Devora.

Girlboss Radio

Girlboss Radio routinely serves up inspiring, insightful and entertaining podcasts that feature women from all different backgrounds discussing subjects that are important to them. On any given episode, you might hear how an entrepreneur built their billion dollar business, how an actor is working on a passion project that is important to them or how you can become a better version of yourself. 

Women at Work

The Harvard Business Review’s Women at Work podcast discusses pressing issues for women in the workplace in an in-depth and thoughtful manner, covering topics such as working in a male-dominated industry, how to make yourself a leader in your company and even how to build a feeling of “sisterhood” in your personal and professional life.

 

Coding Schools, Courses and Bootcamps for Women in Tech 

Whether you’re looking to start your career in STEM or are already an industry expert, there is always something you can learn from coding schools, bootcamps and courses directed for women.

Hackbright Academy

Hackbright Academy is not only a coding school teaching students popular languages (like Python, JavaScript and Flask), but it’s also a community for women to network and grow their career prospects. Throughout the 12-week program, students are linked up with educators, alumnae, mentors and hiring partners that help each student realize and reach their professional goals.

Ada Developers Academy

Ada Developers Academy is a non-profit, tuition-free coding school for women and gender-diverse individuals. This Seattle-based organization teaches women how to become junior developers and advocates in the workplace. Not only do they teach students everything from Ruby to Agile, but they also incorporate diversity and inclusion initiatives and advocacy work into their training regime as well.

Black Girls CODE

Black Girls CODE empowers young girls of color to participate in STEM fields. This resource hosts chapters, workshops, and camp programs all over the U.S. to teach web design, game design, mobile design and robotics. Black Girls CODE has partnered with businesses like IBM, VMWare and others to host relevant tech classes and events.

Girl Develop It

Girl Develop It is a nonprofit that gives women and non-binary adults a safe space to learn web and software development. The organization hosts workshops virtually or in-person from major U.S. cities to cover materials like “Introduction to Web Concepts,” “Intermediate HTML/CSS” and “Web Accessibility.” The goal of Girl Develop It is to give women of all diverse backgrounds an education that allows them to pursue great careers in software and app development.

More for Women in TechThe Glass Ceiling: Its Definition and How to Break Through It

 

Women in Tech to Follow on Social Media

Below are just a few of the many women in tech to follow on social media.

Women in Tech Accounts to Follow

 

Mina Markham, Staff Software Engineer at Slack

Mina Markham holds expertise in front-end software development and is the founder of the Girl Develop It chapter in Dallas, Texas. She worked previously for the Hillary for America organization and has taught classes for Black Girls CODE.

Laura Medalia, Programmer in NYC

Laura Medalia is a NYC-based programmer and content creator who mixes fashion with her love of tech.

Rawan, Product Marketer at Meta

Rawan shares career development, education and program resources, as well as humorous commentary, for working in the tech industry. She also shares traveling and lifestyle content and what it’s like to work abroad in other continents.

Johna Rutz, Software Architect at Credera

Johna Rutz is a software architect at Credera, who shares her love of tech, books and travel with the world. Have a question for her? She tries to answer some of her follower’s most pressing questions.

 

Women Entrepreneur Accounts to Follow

 

Mariam Naficy, Founder + CEO of Minted

An entrepreneur woman, Mariam Naficy founded online design marketplace Minted, which has sold products to over 70 million homes.

Anne Wojcicki, Co-founder + CEO of 23andme

Anne Wojcicki provides a down-to-earth approach when it comes to being a mother, a tech innovator and CEO of 23andMe, one of the most well-known genetic testing services.

Payal Kadakia Pujji, Founder + Chairman of ClassPass

Payal Kadakia Pujji shares her insights into motherhood, culture, entrepreneurialism and how she took these inspirations to found fitness and wellness platform ClassPass.

Afton Vechery, Co-Founder of Modern Fertility, President of Women’s Health at Ro

Afton Vechery is the co-founder of Modern Fertility, a resource center for customized fertility tests, vitamins and reproductive system information. Vechery shares both fun and insightful posts as she changes the landscape of fertility technology and patient-centric healthcare.

Sara Blakely, CEO of Spanx

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Sara Blakely is responsible for founding billion-dollar business Spanx, a clothing apparel company for women. Blakely posts an abundance of uplifting content on her work, family and professional women’s empowerment.

 

Other Inspiring Women to Follow

 

Serena Williams, Retired Professional Tennis Player, Entrepreneur

Grand Slam award-winning athlete Serena Williams is a shining role model for women (and anyone) in the sport of tennis, being considered by many as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Additionally, she’s not only a powerful champion for women, but also a fierce advocate for mothers when off the court.

Melinda Gates, Philanthropist, Advocate for Women and Children

Melinda Gates is a global icon for women’s issues, as well as, an author, philanthropist and co-chair of one of the world’s largest charitable foundations, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

Sheryl Sandberg, Founder of LeanIn.org, Board of Director and Former COO of Meta

A business executive and philanthropist, Sheryl Sandberg is a staunch advocate for gender parity in the working world, and has encouraged women’s leadership at Meta plus every workplace she has encountered.

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