Happy Girls in ICT Day with The Codette Project!
Every last Thursday of April marks ITU International Girls in ICT Day, a day which recognises the importance of young women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and to inform them of the vast potential in these fields. As a woman working at Facebook as a Small Business Account Manager, I'm extremely proud to be part of this moment, but equally disappointed to see that there are still so few women within the STEM industry and so many barriers still present.
Each time we introduce and showcase more women to the world of ICTs, not only do we take one more step towards achieving gender equality, but we accelerate socio-economic development for all.
A fantastic non-for-profit organisation that I'm part of in Singapore is The Codette Project, which aims to have a sustainable economic impact through providing minority women with awareness and access to the tech industry. They focus on three aspects: to improve awareness of the possibilities available in tech, to encourage long-term interest in those exploring tech and to support those who are enthusiastic about the opportunities in tech. They do awesome work, so make sure to follow them on Instagram and Facebook!
I was asked by the founder to be part of their event called The "Human Library: Girls in ICT", where essentially I would be a 'book' that can be 'read' by 4-5 readers per session. During the reading session, the 'readers' (i.e. the audience) and myself as the 'book' had really exciting conversations, addressing misconceptions and questions about working in ICT. It was so inspiring to see successful female role models who were able to break away from traditional stereotypes and achieve their goals. It's so much more important now than ever for young women, especially minority women, be aware of career opportunities in the field. There were a mix of both tech and non-tech roles, and it was great to see even women who had transitioned from political science, to finance, to history, to tech! It truly goes to show that anyone is capable of being part of this industry, no matter what skill or background you hold.
Back in August 2016, I came to realise that I wanted to work in the technology industry some day. I didn't know how or what role I was going to have, but I just knew I needed to be part of this world. I had just come back from Indonesia on exchange and felt really lost as to what my next step would be - job, studies, life?! Studying a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Social Work at the time, I still had 3 years ahead of study and realised I needed to decide there and then if social work was for me. Whilst social work was enjoyable, it just wasn't where my heart lied and to be honest, I just wasn't enjoying the content I had learnt the year before.
I did have this moment when I was walking through the little alley ways of Indonesia, where I spoke to a local t-shirt seller and he showed me his unique designs. We ended up having quite a long chat about his business, and how he often sells to people who come from around the world, as well as through his online store. He then told me to 'Like' his Facebook page so that I could show his designs to all my friends in Australia. In that moment, I realised the power of technology, the power of the platform, and the benefits it created for this man's business, as well as his local community. I knew all I wanted to do was be part of this movement, this moment in time, and part of history.
I didn't have the educational background in technology, but I envisioned myself somehow, some way, here. Luckily I was able to achieve this dream within one and a half years, and have the privilege of working in such a dynamic, fast paced industry that is constantly changing every single day. To be able to work for a platform that connects people every day truly does get me excited and makes me so passionate about what I do. I get to work with fantastic e-commerce, retail and CPG clients on how they can use Facebook to grow and market their business. I get to work with some extremely smart people who hold a plethora of years in tech experience, collaborate with incredible teams, and work with products that millions (actually billions) of people are using around the world.
As a woman in the technology industry however, I am only one of the few. When I first started at my job, I was one of two girls in a team of ten. That meant quivered voices whenever I wanted to speak my mind in meetings, uncertainty of my skill set, and a very high level of imposer syndrome. Had there been more women in the room, perhaps I might not have felt such a way. Had I been more confident in myself, in my capabilities and in my potential, my performance in the role could have far exceeded my output.
Now is the time for women to be in the technology industry. Now is the time for us to be at the table, smashing glass ceilings and being bold.
I thoroughly hope that at least one woman was inspired by the stories shared at The Codette Project event, and I look forward to seeing even more bad ass women achieving in tech. I'm so glad to be part of this community, crushing stereotypes one achievement at a time.
Each time we introduce and showcase more women to the world of ICTs, not only do we take one more step towards achieving gender equality, but we accelerate socio-economic development for all.
A fantastic non-for-profit organisation that I'm part of in Singapore is The Codette Project, which aims to have a sustainable economic impact through providing minority women with awareness and access to the tech industry. They focus on three aspects: to improve awareness of the possibilities available in tech, to encourage long-term interest in those exploring tech and to support those who are enthusiastic about the opportunities in tech. They do awesome work, so make sure to follow them on Instagram and Facebook!I was asked by the founder to be part of their event called The "Human Library: Girls in ICT", where essentially I would be a 'book' that can be 'read' by 4-5 readers per session. During the reading session, the 'readers' (i.e. the audience) and myself as the 'book' had really exciting conversations, addressing misconceptions and questions about working in ICT. It was so inspiring to see successful female role models who were able to break away from traditional stereotypes and achieve their goals. It's so much more important now than ever for young women, especially minority women, be aware of career opportunities in the field. There were a mix of both tech and non-tech roles, and it was great to see even women who had transitioned from political science, to finance, to history, to tech! It truly goes to show that anyone is capable of being part of this industry, no matter what skill or background you hold.
Back in August 2016, I came to realise that I wanted to work in the technology industry some day. I didn't know how or what role I was going to have, but I just knew I needed to be part of this world. I had just come back from Indonesia on exchange and felt really lost as to what my next step would be - job, studies, life?! Studying a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Social Work at the time, I still had 3 years ahead of study and realised I needed to decide there and then if social work was for me. Whilst social work was enjoyable, it just wasn't where my heart lied and to be honest, I just wasn't enjoying the content I had learnt the year before.
I did have this moment when I was walking through the little alley ways of Indonesia, where I spoke to a local t-shirt seller and he showed me his unique designs. We ended up having quite a long chat about his business, and how he often sells to people who come from around the world, as well as through his online store. He then told me to 'Like' his Facebook page so that I could show his designs to all my friends in Australia. In that moment, I realised the power of technology, the power of the platform, and the benefits it created for this man's business, as well as his local community. I knew all I wanted to do was be part of this movement, this moment in time, and part of history.
I didn't have the educational background in technology, but I envisioned myself somehow, some way, here. Luckily I was able to achieve this dream within one and a half years, and have the privilege of working in such a dynamic, fast paced industry that is constantly changing every single day. To be able to work for a platform that connects people every day truly does get me excited and makes me so passionate about what I do. I get to work with fantastic e-commerce, retail and CPG clients on how they can use Facebook to grow and market their business. I get to work with some extremely smart people who hold a plethora of years in tech experience, collaborate with incredible teams, and work with products that millions (actually billions) of people are using around the world.
As a woman in the technology industry however, I am only one of the few. When I first started at my job, I was one of two girls in a team of ten. That meant quivered voices whenever I wanted to speak my mind in meetings, uncertainty of my skill set, and a very high level of imposer syndrome. Had there been more women in the room, perhaps I might not have felt such a way. Had I been more confident in myself, in my capabilities and in my potential, my performance in the role could have far exceeded my output.
Now is the time for women to be in the technology industry. Now is the time for us to be at the table, smashing glass ceilings and being bold.
I thoroughly hope that at least one woman was inspired by the stories shared at The Codette Project event, and I look forward to seeing even more bad ass women achieving in tech. I'm so glad to be part of this community, crushing stereotypes one achievement at a time.
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