It is not a vile hotbed of stupid blokes - I've had a hell of a lot worse in my pre-IT life. So why is the perception of IT so bad? Because I'm sure the perception issue is a significant chunk of the reason there are so few of us there. Is there a perception that the guys are all sexist fuckheads who watch porn all day while scoffing their cheetos and refusing to bathe? Are we so afraid of being labelled "geeks"? Sure, surmounting the early disadvantages in learning technical and certain communication skills is tough enough. But what else is the problem?
I enjoy my work, and wish there were more women in it. My view is, if you can handle Word macros (which any secretary can), you can handle managing a data centre, given the right training. I think it is a great trade for women, because the culture is actually fairly accepting compared to plenty of blue-collar work, the work is interesting, and it pays bloody well.
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Date: 2010-06-11 11:45 am (UTC)It is not a vile hotbed of stupid blokes - I've had a hell of a lot worse in my pre-IT life. So why is the perception of IT so bad? Because I'm sure the perception issue is a significant chunk of the reason there are so few of us there. Is there a perception that the guys are all sexist fuckheads who watch porn all day while scoffing their cheetos and refusing to bathe? Are we so afraid of being labelled "geeks"? Sure, surmounting the early disadvantages in learning technical and certain communication skills is tough enough. But what else is the problem?
I enjoy my work, and wish there were more women in it. My view is, if you can handle Word macros (which any secretary can), you can handle managing a data centre, given the right training. I think it is a great trade for women, because the culture is actually fairly accepting compared to plenty of blue-collar work, the work is interesting, and it pays bloody well.