Comments on: Fight the gap http://lostconsciousness.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/fight-the-gap/ Random thoughts on technology, machines, science and people Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:01:36 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: kcleave http://lostconsciousness.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/fight-the-gap/#comment-151 kcleave Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:47:23 +0000 http://lostconsciousness.wordpress.com/?p=97#comment-151 I work for e-skills UK and also attended the Microsoft workshop mentioned in the original article above. I was very interested by the follow up comment above since I totally relate to the points raised. I trained in Fine Art and have always known that my talents lied in the creative area and certainly not in IT since Maths was never my strong point! Interestingly, no one ever pointed out that the two could co-exist or that you don't necessarily need to be a mathematical genius to succeed in the field of IT since this vast fast developing industry encompasses such a variety of job roles. Please see www.bigambition.co.uk and view the Inspirational People library of videos showing employees working in a broad range of companies in a multitude of job roles. Having completed my degree at Goldsmiths College, London University, I then spent two years completing a Multimedia and Virtual Reality Diploma at Kingsway College. Since then I have gone on to specialize in several stimulating job roles including Creative Director / Flash Developer / Web Designer and currently Digital Content Manager. The roles are very creative, exploring the ever changing visual interface of the digital world around us. I can't stress more what an exciting environment this is to work in and hope that education will start to represent this more so that students will not continue to be supplied dull and out-of-date information as witnessed in the last comment above. e-skills UK works closely with industry and education authorities to change these preconceptions of the workplace and has created programmes which serve to tackle the gender inbalance and strive to inspire students to consider a career in IT. Two thirds of the girls on our employer-backed computer clubs programme, CC4G, report being more positive about a career in technology as a result; half of those registered on our new IT careers website, BigAmbition, are female; and around a third of students on our employer-designed IT and business degree course, ITMB, are female - compared to 15% for traditional computing degrees. I work for e-skills UK and also attended the Microsoft workshop mentioned in the original article above. I was very interested by the follow up comment above since I totally relate to the points raised.

I trained in Fine Art and have always known that my talents lied in the creative area and certainly not in IT since Maths was never my strong point! Interestingly, no one ever pointed out that the two could co-exist or that you don’t necessarily need to be a mathematical genius to succeed in the field of IT since this vast fast developing industry encompasses such a variety of job roles. Please see http://www.bigambition.co.uk and view the Inspirational People library of videos showing employees working in a broad range of companies in a multitude of job roles.

Having completed my degree at Goldsmiths College, London University, I then spent two years completing a Multimedia and Virtual Reality Diploma at Kingsway College. Since then I have gone on to specialize in several stimulating job roles including Creative Director / Flash Developer / Web Designer and currently Digital Content Manager. The roles are very creative, exploring the ever changing visual interface of the digital world around us. I can’t stress more what an exciting environment this is to work in and hope that education will start to represent this more so that students will not continue to be supplied dull and out-of-date information as witnessed in the last comment above.

e-skills UK works closely with industry and education authorities to change these preconceptions of the workplace and has created programmes which serve to tackle the gender inbalance and strive to inspire students to consider a career in IT. Two thirds of the girls on our employer-backed computer clubs programme, CC4G, report being more positive about a career in technology as a result; half of those registered on our new IT careers website, BigAmbition, are female; and around a third of students on our employer-designed IT and business degree course, ITMB, are female – compared to 15% for traditional computing degrees.

]]> By: The Bureauista http://lostconsciousness.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/fight-the-gap/#comment-126 The Bureauista Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:22:05 +0000 http://lostconsciousness.wordpress.com/?p=97#comment-126 I studied some basic computing at school and really enjoyed it. Then I went on to work for an educational technology start up and wished I knew more about the technology, rather than the education (still do). If I could go back to university I'd choose to study ICT in some form, no question. Why didn't I choose to study it when I had the chance? Not sure, but I have some ideas: 1. It never occurred to me. Girls don't think of themselves as programmers in my experience; just as they don't think of themselves as plumbers or scaffies. 2. No one ever suggested it. Careers advisors, teachers and parents don't tend to think of girls as being suited to ICT either. 3. Those dumb programs that ask you your interests and spit out suggested careers never mentioned it (mine suggested translator even though I had no interest in languages). 4. The 'girls into computing' event I attended at Glasgow University when I was seventeen was really offputting. We did dumb tasks on old PCs in a crumbling computer lab, assisted by morons. 5. On first reflection, being the only girl in an office of men is appealing, but after a little thought, it gets quite intimidating. Call it the herd mentality if you like, but we need our sisters. I studied some basic computing at school and really enjoyed it. Then I went on to work for an educational technology start up and wished I knew more about the technology, rather than the education (still do). If I could go back to university I’d choose to study ICT in some form, no question. Why didn’t I choose to study it when I had the chance? Not sure, but I have some ideas:
1. It never occurred to me. Girls don’t think of themselves as programmers in my experience; just as they don’t think of themselves as plumbers or scaffies.
2. No one ever suggested it. Careers advisors, teachers and parents don’t tend to think of girls as being suited to ICT either.
3. Those dumb programs that ask you your interests and spit out suggested careers never mentioned it (mine suggested translator even though I had no interest in languages).
4. The ‘girls into computing’ event I attended at Glasgow University when I was seventeen was really offputting. We did dumb tasks on old PCs in a crumbling computer lab, assisted by morons.
5. On first reflection, being the only girl in an office of men is appealing, but after a little thought, it gets quite intimidating. Call it the herd mentality if you like, but we need our sisters.

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