How to be an IT Grrrl

Maria grew up watching her parents design and build bridges all around Venezuela, and as a mathematically gifted child, even helped them draft blueprints. In this episode she talks about the lessons of her childhood and how they help her in her work as a Service Architect. Also check out the memoir of our pioneering IT Grrrl of the day, Anne Moffat.

Daniela thought she was going to be a chemical engineer, but events kept leading her into data – organising it, analysing it and revealing its value. Here she talks about navigating her IT career as a single parent and why IT has something for everyone. Also learn more about why our historical woman of the day, Florence Nightingale, is remembered as a pioneer of modern data science.

Something a bit different this week while I line up my next round of podcast guests - I'm reading a chapter from my book "How to be an IT Grrrl". This chapter centres around a highly unpleasant experience I had at a Women in Technology Lunch in 2005, and then some unexpectedly positive encounters following it. The outcome is the motivation both for writing the book and for starting this podcast.

Cloud engineer Emma Turner's philosophy is to try things out and see for herself, and this is nowhere more apparent than in the job she accepted as a young woman, just out of university - one that took her into an unfamiliar country, work environment and role as a network engineer. In this episode, Emma talks about how an IT/Engineering education can only prepare you for so much, the rewards of jumping in and giving it a go, and why keeping your end users in mind when building computer solutions is far more satisfying than simple problem solving. Also meet our IT pioneer of the day: Lucy Suchman - Wikipedia.

A choice Anishma made at only 15 years old set her on the technical track, but she couldn't have imagined where it would take her. Join us for her cross-cultural reflections on women in tech, and why AI is creating more opportunities for developers. Also meet our IT pioneer of the day: Sudha Murthy - Wikipedia

Cristy's career has been driven by her need for variety and interesting challenges. In this episode she talks about the sheer joy she finds in learning something new, and why a busy parent can be so much more productive when working part-time. Also meet our pioneering IT Grrrl of the day: Stephanie Shirley - Wikipedia.

Jane Palmer managed to find her way into tech despite a lot of misdirection from poor careers advice. She also discusses the importance of strong female role models, and why one benefit of aging is that you get to bring your mum energy to work. Also meet our pioneering IT Grrrl of the day: Lynn Conway - Wikipedia

Following a series of chance opportunities took Heather Flanagan from librarianship to a key role in the development of global IAM standards. In this episode she also tells us why it’s important to know your values and motivations, and what people can say instead of “I’m not technical”. Also meet our pioneering IT Grrrl of the day: Betty Holberton - Wikipedia

Natalie Timms' cyber security career has taken her from Australia to the USA and back again. Here she tells how her adventurous spirit and instinct for following her interests have been at the heart of her career, and why it doesn’t hurt to stand out from the crowd. And meet our pioneering IT Grrrl of the day: Dorothy E. Denning - Wikipedia