“Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire...” — Oprah Winfrey
If anyone knows a thing or two about mounting the high wire -- and setting the bar high -- it’s Oprah.
Today, Oprah is an internationally recognized talk show host, media executive, actress, and billionaire philanthropist. But years ago, she had to navigate gender, economic, and race barriers to create her own opportunities for success. She secured an on-air primetime anchor position in Baltimore, but when ratings dipped, she was fired. Undeterred, Oprah shifted gears. She landed a job co-hosting a daytime talk show and the rest is history. Oprah has proactively sought out opportunities (from acting roles to authoring books), never feared failure, and always learned from each step of her life journey.
I think women in technology can apply a few of Oprah’s lessons to forge their own career paths, navigating career hurdles and roadblocks in the process. And when I mention hurdles, I’m referring to the long-standing underrepresentation of women in technology-related fields. Despite making up nearly half of today’s total workforce, women account for only 25% of those working in technology. And more than half (56%) of women leave the tech industry, by the mid-level point in their careers, often driven out by gender bias and institutional barriers they encounter. How can women best conquer potential hurdles and roadblocks as they pave their path to career success? Keep reading.
1. Don’t be afraid to be the ‘first’ and ‘only’
I grew up in Bangladesh within a large, extended family. I didn’t have a laptop and had to use the big desktop computer we all shared at the house. Imagine 10 people sharing one computer and you can sense the chaos around homework time. When the computer would crash, which was often because it was so heavily used, I would tell my uncle. My uncle’s reply: “I’ll call my friend -- he can fix it.” No one was allowed to touch the computer until this man showed up to repair it.
Continue reading: https://www.informationweek.com/it-life/how-women-in-tech-can-create-their-own-opportunities
If anyone knows a thing or two about mounting the high wire -- and setting the bar high -- it’s Oprah.
Today, Oprah is an internationally recognized talk show host, media executive, actress, and billionaire philanthropist. But years ago, she had to navigate gender, economic, and race barriers to create her own opportunities for success. She secured an on-air primetime anchor position in Baltimore, but when ratings dipped, she was fired. Undeterred, Oprah shifted gears. She landed a job co-hosting a daytime talk show and the rest is history. Oprah has proactively sought out opportunities (from acting roles to authoring books), never feared failure, and always learned from each step of her life journey.
I think women in technology can apply a few of Oprah’s lessons to forge their own career paths, navigating career hurdles and roadblocks in the process. And when I mention hurdles, I’m referring to the long-standing underrepresentation of women in technology-related fields. Despite making up nearly half of today’s total workforce, women account for only 25% of those working in technology. And more than half (56%) of women leave the tech industry, by the mid-level point in their careers, often driven out by gender bias and institutional barriers they encounter. How can women best conquer potential hurdles and roadblocks as they pave their path to career success? Keep reading.
1. Don’t be afraid to be the ‘first’ and ‘only’
I grew up in Bangladesh within a large, extended family. I didn’t have a laptop and had to use the big desktop computer we all shared at the house. Imagine 10 people sharing one computer and you can sense the chaos around homework time. When the computer would crash, which was often because it was so heavily used, I would tell my uncle. My uncle’s reply: “I’ll call my friend -- he can fix it.” No one was allowed to touch the computer until this man showed up to repair it.
Continue reading: https://www.informationweek.com/it-life/how-women-in-tech-can-create-their-own-opportunities
