Today, March 24, 2009, is the first annual Ada Lovelace day. Ada Lovelace was the first-ever computer programmer (take note – not just the first female computer programmer, the first ever), and in her honor, today has been declared a day to celebrate women in technology.
Ada Lovelace
We as women need role models, people we can look up to and emulate, mentors and coaches; especially in male-dominated fields like technology. It’s difficult not to feel alone and out of place when you are a minority in your field.
I remember as a freshman in college, I was the only female in my computer science class. I had to be smart not only for myself, but for women everywhere, because unfortunately, this is How It Works:
How It Works
That is a lot of pressure! And it can be discouraging to girls who are interested in technology.
So to all the girls out there who take that computer elective, even though all the other girls are doing cheerleading, be proud of the fact that a woman started it all!
And to all the women who are in technology now, I hope and request that you seek out those girls, encourage and mentor them, because we are smart, and we each have an Ada within us, we just need to find her.
To quote (in my humble opinion) one of the coolest women alive, Ani DiFranco:
People, we are standing at ground zero of the feminist revolution!
Yeah, it was an inside job, stoic and sly.
One we’re supposed to forget and downplay and deny,
But I think the time is nothing if not nigh to let the truth out!
Coolest F-word ever deserves a fucking shout!
I mean… why can’t all decent men and women call themselves feminists?
Out of respect, for those who fought for this.
I mean, look around. We have This.
Filed under: Women In Tech Tagged: | Ada Lovelace, ALD09, women in technology
