Today I am sharing a post written by a work colleague who I’ve known for a few years. Sophie has achieved much in her relatively short career (short in comparison to mine!). She currently holds a Senior Leadership Team position in the UCL IT department (Information Services Division) and has a very bright future ahead of her.
One of the reasons I’m reposting this is because while you now see many more women in sectors that have traditionally been very male-dominated, less than 20% of senior IT roles in the Higher Education sector are held by women. I believe that it’s essential to have diversity in the workplace, and really important that when there are outreach activities to recruit a diverse selection of young people there is a specific message to young women that IT is an interesting and viable career choice.
Having only worked in Tech for a few years, I’m still discovering the range of opportunities and roles that are available. With the rise of AI, the multiverse, SMART IT and all sorts of new and exciting technological developments, almost all companies in all sectors need IT professionals from all walks of life.
As Sophie’s post describes it can sometimes be tough being a woman in IT, we’ve all been in situations where we’ve experienced and felt frustrated by unconscious bias. However attitudes and culture are slowly changing. With mentoring, coaching, finding pathways to senior level positions, and with the help of great male allys such as Lee Chambers, I have great hope for the future of our young women.
Elizabeth Mooney 