

Too Few Women in Tech? Stop Telling People How They Should Feel About It - mc
http://www.seattle20.com/blog/Too-Few-Women-in-Tech-Stop-Telling-People-How-They-Should-Feel-About-It.aspx

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protomyth
>> I thought, when juxtaposed with the response I got from Nancy Xiao, a
recent high-school grad and TeachStreet intern. “I’ve come to realize one of
my bigger challenges is not having a technical background,” she says. “Just
because a woman doesn’t speak Ruby doesn’t mean she’s incapable.”

If I'm looking for a partner to start a business, then I am looking someone
with skills to execute. So, if no skills in the area then no startup. Their
are many skills that could be used in a startup, but I am loathe to let anyone
manage developers who wasn't a developer. Sure, maybe there are some examples,
but from most of my experience it just leads to problems.

Heck, I would partner with a dragon if it had the right skills (and obey the
local laws) - any legal, can-go-to-sleep-at-night way to the money is fine.

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yummyfajitas
My favorite part of the article: "When I encounter a woman I find relatable
succeeding in tech, I hunt her down and I interrogate her. I’m desperate for
examples of how to do this, how to carve out a path for myself in this world
as myself,..."

Translation: "I'm desperate to follow in someone else's footsteps while
carving out a path for myself. And that person needs to have breasts!"

Strangely, she seems to think her problem is that she can't find someone to
follow, rather than the fact that she is desperately trying to be a follower.

~~~
russell
Good grief! She should take the female out of the question. Find a personable
developer with a decade or two of experience, so that he has some perspective.
Ask away. Most likely he would be willing to spend the necessary time to
answer her questions. And follow the trail. If he is in corporate development,
but she is interested in startups, ask him to recommend a friend. There are
many paid paths from photoshop or page layout to hardcore developer. All it
needs is intelligence and a willingness to work hard.

EDIT: So I posted before I read the article :-) If she wanted to be on the Sr.
management track, she should have gone to a smaller company, where ability
would have been recognized without being on the basketball team, or learn to
play basketball. If you want to fasttrack, go where the track is fast.

~~~
yummyfajitas
She could also learn about tech, which she seems to think that women seeking
management positions in tech companies should not have to do.

(At least one tech company also thought they could hire a non-techie woman as
CEO. Hopefully the rest of us can learn from HP's mistake.)

