This is a stale thread now, but I have to share this. At my first programming job (certainly not my first job, but first in technology) I had a female manager

This is a stale thread now, but I have to share this. At my first programming job (certainly not my first job, but first in technology) I had a female manager who was incredible. She and I were the only women in the group with 15 or so men. She was highly respected by everyone in the group for her leadership and technical expertise, and she managed to juggle leading her team with being a great mom to her kids. She showed me that as a woman there was nothing standing in the way of my career, and that down the road balancing family priorities was possible. I'm grateful everyday for her example and the lessons she unwittingly taught me. Hopefully one day I'll be as awesome as she is!