Find Your Passion: Women in Technology

[#1]

I was recently honored to join technical women in discussing our careers and personal achievements as part of a panel at the "Invent Your Future Conference", here in Silicon Valley - several days of professional development to help women take their careers and businesses to the next level.

The moderator of my panel session, Caroline Simard, Ph.D., director of research, Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, presented statistics that shed light on the state of women's careers in technology: numbers showed a significant amount (almost 10 percent) of salary inequity between men and women, reminding us that only a small number of women (5 percent) hold top executive positions in technology. She also revealed the fact that many highly educated and capable women are exiting the high-tech industry after just ten years. Personally, I've never felt like a statistic and one shouldn't get sidetracked by statistics.  What's important to note is that now more than ever, women industry wide who want to take charge of their career must first find their passion and know that it's okay to be different.  There are no right or wrong answers, but you must be authentic (live your passion) and love what you do.

Especially in a down economy, I think everyone including women have to look at it as an opportunity to ask themselves ‘what is my passion and what do I really want to do?'  In times like this, if you really identify that passion you can take your career in a fundamentally different direction and come out at a hugely different place.  It can be a hard thing to do, but transitions are hard. One of the biggest mistakes that I believe women make in business is thinking that they need to follow a pre-negotiated career path. Remember that passion rather than technical skills or specific experience, is what makes the most successful women successful, as passion arms us with superior "equipment" to build a team, gain followers, and make an impact.  By leading with passion, you serve as a model that enables others to act accordingly.  Passion is what happens when who you are connects with what you do.  It is what will get you through the hard times.

Whether you have an established career in technology, or you are just starting out, here are a few nuggets of advice that have proven invaluable for me:

• Find your passion. Someone helped me to analyze exactly what I was passionate about - sometimes we make assumptions and never spend the time to clearly articulate what makes us feel passionate.  Once you understand that, you can effectively apply that passion across many situations - whether you're trying to sell your idea in a meeting or yourself in a job interview, believe in your ideas and know that others will too. 
• Embrace a risk. With great risk can come great reward. Ironically, the riskiest, greatest changes can make you much more knowledgeable and more marketable in years to come. Additionally, a breadth of experience will allow you to better able to identify your passion and enjoy what you do.

I have created change in my own life because I always knew there were new opportunities for learning. I'd like women in technology to join me in taking charge of our careers and changing the status quo in order to defy the defeating statistics that hover around us. The easiest way to do this is to find and lead with our passions, and in so doing, we will be on the path to becoming true leaders.

[#2]

Echo and very nice article

 
“If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you” --T. Alan Armstrong

Live Your Passion