Inclusivity in the technology sector – how the Code First Girls initiative is making a difference

1. Inclusivity in the technology sector – how the Code First Girls initiative is making a difference I love working with data, so it’s quite funny that I fell into it by accident. I was working in the education industry for several years and moved from administration into data management. I didn’t really know what it was at the time, but I quickly found out it was a role I not only loved, but was talented at. Unfortunately when my partner and I broke up, I had to leave London and move back to my home town. I was unable to find any jobs in the data field, so ended up working in a call centre. I spent the next 7 years working in customer service, but constantly trying to move into a data role. Employers would always make promises to me, but as I was always a top performer they were never in any rush to let me move. People saw I was good at my job and assumed I loved it but they had no idea how miserable I was. At the time my autism was undiagnosed. I knew everything about customer service stressed me out, but I didn’t understand it was because so much of the role was in conflict with my autistic traits (being required to make small talk, having to show empathy etc). I suffered anxiety and depression, and at one point I was signed

2. off with work related stress. All because the job was such a mental conflict for me. The only thing keeping me going was the promise that I would be moved into a data role.. eventually. One day I had my lightbulb moment. I thought it’s been so many years now, I would have been so much further on in my career if I hadn’t been relying on employers promises. So I decided enough was enough and I took action for myself. I started looking at job descriptions for data analysts to see what was required. I noticed many adverts mentioned Python or SQL, so I started looking for courses. I had only ever used Excel and Access in previous roles, so I had no coding experience. A lot of courses were very expensive, so I couldn’t believe my luck when I found Code First Girls offering training for free to women and non-binary people who want to retrain for a career in tech. I threw myself into their courses, and it wasn’t long before I was offered a new role as an analyst. Many of my friends and colleagues know how much I’ve wanted this as they’ve all seen the effort I’ve put in over the years and everyone was so happy that my dream finally came true! I’m lucky that I knew I wanted to work in data. I’ve spoken to so many people who are so unhappy in work that they go home in tears. But they just don’t know what else they can do. They haven’t had an opportunity to work in other roles, so they don’t know what they’re capable of. I really feel for these people and want to help.

3. When Code First Girls advertised for ambassadors, I jumped at the chance. My life changed when I got my new role. I wanted to help spread awareness so that other people can try and find their niche and ultimately, their happiness. A recent study by NatWest and Code First Girls found that the number of women employed in the UK technology industry has reached 26%, but has only grown by around 5% in the past few years. And while the UK’s tech job market is predicted to grow six times to be worth £30bn by 2025, there will only be one qualified woman for every 115 roles. STEM subjects were never promoted to me during my education journey. I remember walking into a college open day and being pushed towards the BTEC Beauty Therapy table simply because I was female. My two degrees are in business and law, despite the fact that I was interested in BASIC programming language at a very young age. I’ve played computer games all my life, but nobody ever talked to me about opportunities to become a games developer or QA. So why is there such a bias that STEM subjects are for males? The NatWest survey says in 2021, 88% of girls who studied maths A level achieved an A* to C grade, compared to 84% of boys. Almost one in four girls who took Physics received an A* compared to 20% of boys. Despite this, only 35% of STEM students in higher education are women. That number drops to 19% of those studying computer science.

4. The reason I became an ambassador is to help push this awareness and fight the stereotypes. I wish I had skilled up many years ago! A big part of my role is being seen and heard. I want to tell my story so people know they have the opportunity to retrain. The effect of Covid especially has a lot of people looking for other opportunities but being unsure what to do. I want to encourage women to try tech, and see if it’s a career move they want. Whether it’s a data scientist, a software engineer, or a front end developer. I am not a computer whizz kid, but I did it. So I believe anyone else can too. There are no barriers. I’m neurodiverse, and I did it. I’m in my 40s, and I did it. I want people to see me and identify with me, so they feel like they can achieve what they want. I always encourage people to contact me if they want to ask any questions, and many people do. Companies such as GCHQ and BAE systems are leading the way by actively recruiting neurodivergent women in particular for cybersecurity roles that require “fast pattern recognition, sharper accuracy and greater attention to detail”. There are advantages to being a career switcher. Many transferable and soft skills are useful in tech roles. However I do wish I had done this many years ago, had I known it was available to me. A lot of work needs to be done at an earlier age to encourage women and girls to not only take STEM subjects at school, but go on to successful careers within the industry. Companies need to shed their unconscious bias

5. towards male candidates, and create a more inclusive working environment. Sources: https://www.natwestgroup.com/news-and-insights/latest-stories/diversity- equity-and-inclusion/2022/oct/social-mobility-and-gender-parity-in-tech.html https://codefirstgirls.com/annual-survey-2022- download/?submissionGuid=c61166c5-523e-47e1-84b4-32f875331b93 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/nov/16/neurodiverse-women- sought-for-jobs-at-gchq-and-bae- systems?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_ source=Twitter#Echobox=1668575425