Why I (still) do I.T.

This is a little bit of a rant, but with a positive spin. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Look around you, how many women in IT (technology) do you see? Yeah, not so much huh?

I used to be a secretary. Not a very good one mind you, because I was bored to tears. Then the universe gave me a big ol gift of being slammed into by a garbage truck while driving my little Honda Civic down 28^th St. in Minneapolis. Now most people wouldn’t see this as a positive and I sure didn’t at first. But here’s the deal. My left hand was broken in about a bazillion places. Not so good for typing eh? I simply had to change careers, or least change jobs. I ultimately landed another admin position but I loved it, I was doing simple admin stuff but not very much typing. I was surrounded by technical people as I have been in most jobs. But somehow this was different. My bosses noticed that I had some talent, some drive and I was progressively given interesting tasks. I was still very young and didn’t know all of the “rules” and kept asking and pushing the envelope. There were actually technical women in the department I worked in and it was very inspiring.

Bump in the road

I loved my work but really disliked Minnesota, I couldn’t deal with the cold and the snow any longer. A great opportunity came along to relocate to California. This was it! I was so excited, I couldn’t wait to get there and work with people to do and learn even more. Slam! Reality sets in. Turns out that in this particular company’s west coast division, strong women’s voices in tech were not welcome. I spent nearly three years trying to change things and sadly, gave up. There were no mentors, only backstabbers and gossipy rumor hounds. What a horrid environment it was!

Ick!

The next position I took was really a lateral move, sadly just to get away from the previous environment. After 4 months of Sarbanes Oxley and helpdesk work, one day I was sexually harassed by not one but TWO people at the same time. Now that was devastating. I thought I was strong, I thought I could take it and be okay. Turns out that the company’s “zero tolerance policy” was completely unenforced and I was actually made to feel guilty for what I was wearing on the day in question and “did I really want these guys to lose their jobs?”  I quit that job immediately. I probably should have sued the company but I didn’t have the energy.

Hmmmm, this could be cool.

During the last few weeks of that icky job, I had been recruited by a company who did IT support for celebrities in their homes. I don’t really care that much about celebs but I was intrigued by the idea of solving problems and the immediate gratification – it’s either fixed or not. I started with the company but after 8 months realized that I while I was a huge cash cow for the company, I wasn’t being compensated for the value I brought. Clients loved me. They did not love the company. They often complained of feeling “ripped off”, overbilled, sneaky tactics, etc.

Today I am my own boss.

My ethics are rarely challenged because I won’t tolerate it. I work for clients who value their time, who appreciate the rare woman in I.T. who has top skills but doesn’t need to bring ego to every interaction. I offer them the discretion and privacy they so rarely see in vendors and I pride myself in being easy to do business with. I just love this work; it’s technical, analytical and logical yet I still get to care about people. I am the ÜberGeekGirl!

To every woman who is considering I.T., whether sys-admin, programmer, helpdesk. I want you to know that you can enjoy your work, you can be a great tech and you do not have to put up with the abuse that keeps most women out of I.T. You just have to say no and stand up to people who would otherwise put you down. It will NOT be easy. There will be days where you just want to stay home. Go ahead, but the next day, get up and keep saying YES to yourself, your values and ultimately be a mentor for the next generation.

That’s why I still do I.T.  How about you? Comments and questions welcomed!