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Why Women Leave Tech (a.k.a. “Why I Left Tech”)
- ddingus 6y agoGood, frank, thought provoking read. For years now, I have asked the question, "what if it were me?" to better understand how it is different for women. I still don't know, but each time I consider shared thoughts and experiences, I feel like I may be doing harm and not even know it, and I gain some perspective. Understanding one another better seems to be an important component, if we are to get past it. Some of my mixed gender work experiences have been great. Others? The author definitely spoke to those. So far, I have arrived at the idea of greater gender role freedom for everyone being an answer, or part of the answer, due to how many higher order implications seem to be rooted in basic norms. For me, realizing that has helped me see everyone as peers, just people. It has helped some. Or, maybe I do less harm, or maybe I am more insulated. Hard to know. Getting back to that question: If it were me, giving up work I love would be unacceptable. But, I have done something like it by leaving places that are ugly, where the norms are toxic, etc. despite the actual work being great! But to just bag on a whole field? Super rough. I have done that too, but it was due to policy, pay, globalization. Not my own nature and how that colors things. Not gender. Really, my take is it just not being OK. A waste, or profoundly frustrating. It pains me deeply to know worthy, capable people step away and it happens because of things they do not control. Are there real answers, or? I just don't know and after reading her, I feel I should. What if it were me? Worse: Sure glad it isn't me, just to put that desire for answers into context. Ideally, nobody has to struggle because of who they are. Not in such fundemental ways. Shouldn't be anyone. It all seems fixable. But so far, it hasn't been fixed that I can tell.