It is commonly known within the technology industry that men dominate software development roles. I’m often one few female software engineers in a team (sometimes the only one), and I’d love to see more females considering it as a career option.
I have seen that some women don’t even consider being engineers due to stereotypes that men are better at it. Truthfully, the first programmer in the world was a female. Furthermore, there are many more women doing great in their roles and serving as role models for real life.
My career as a software engineer started by coincidence, but I have enjoyed it more and more as I gain experience. It gives me pleasure to solve a problem on my own, to discuss nitty-gritty or high-level design with the team, and also to share engineering jokes with other developers. None of those are gender-specific.
Around us, we are surrounded by biases - gender bias, age bias, nationality bias, beauty bias, etc. Whether it’s intentional or unconscious, we could recognise it and break it together by sharing and inspiring others. Recently, one of my male friends decided to become a nurse after realising how much he enjoys communicating with patients and helping them. He shared this story to the public to motivate others. I’m happy to see him finding his passion and the career he dreams of pursuing. This story is also encouraging and inspiring.
I hope to hear more from people with diverse backgrounds to help break the bias, bringing more equality and opportunity for all.