By Mark Greathouse

High school women speak at an open forum during the National Center for Women and Information Technology conference Feb. 7, 2015, about their concerns of studying computer science in the future.

Technology industry has growing need for women

If were going to out-innovate and
out-educate the rest of the world, weve
got to open doors for everyone.We need
all hands on deck, and that means clearing hurdles for women and girls as they
navigate careers in science, technology,
engineering, and math.
-- First Lady Mchelle Obama.
BY HANNAH MAY

echnology is a field with so much

growth and projections for future
employment. However jobs are going
unfilled and lack many women applicants.
It is estimated by the year 2020, 1.2 million jobs will be unfilled in the computer industry. Microsoft gathered this information
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This
information is based off the statistics that
only 40,000 Americans graduate each year
with a bachelors degree in Computer Science. Microsoft points to its own company
hiring more than 3,000 people in research,

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development and engineering in the year

2012, and the numbers will keep growing,
says Daniel Costa from the Economic Policy
Institute on STEM labor shortages.
When it comes to earning a bachelors
degree, women are more likely than men
to graduate with one. But when it is broken
down into degree type, not even 20 percent
will get a degree in computer science, says
Heather R. Huhman from Forbes magazine
for ForbesWoman. Less than a third of the
women graduating are studying in a field
that would greatly benefit from their different perspective.
Women in the tech industry face challenges, explains college and business women at the National Center for Women and
Information Technology conference Feb. 7,
2015.
Computing is working more than 40
hours a week, it is something you have to
love, says Dawn Fosman a Software Architect from Cerner.

A stigma that hovers around like a

gloomy cloud is one reason why women are
not jumping to be computer scientists.
Dr. Carol Spradling, a computer science
professor at Northwest, says this stereotype
has negatively impacted the field.
They developed in the 60s, 70s and
80s about how tech people were nerds, and
the field was competitive, Spradling says.
She says how times are changing, but
stereotypes still linger.
One problem is females are not encouraged to go into sciences when they
are young. When watching TV, not many
famous characters are female hackers or
computer geniuses. They are detectives or
reality stars. This is what young girls are
looking up to, Huhman said.
Niki Justice, a senior IDM: Computer
Science major, was one of four females
in her freshman class. She explained the
challenges of being the only girl in classes. Justice goes to conferences to encourage

women to join fields like computer science.

Get to know your classmates, boys or
girls; they will become your closest friends
after your college years together and they
will also be your biggest supporters, she
says.
When looking at applicants for tech jobs,
Jodi Kennedy, a director of Talent Sourcing
at Gallup, says there is a massive difference
between male and female applicants.
I believe the reason more men go into
technology stems from elementary school
and middle school, Kennedy says. This
is when girls decide if they like math or science and if they do, then they may continue
this passion into high school.
When they get to college, though, its a
whole different world. When they see they
are one of very few girls in their classes,
many will change their major. There could
be many reason, but I think the social
aspect is one of them. Women are much
more social and looking for that college

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experience.
The women at NCWIT hinted at this
same opinion; they were the only girls in
their class, and it was something they had
to overcome.
Paving the way, I had to fight for where
I wanted to go, said Wendy Bohnenkamp
a Software Development Architect from
Perceptive Software.
Lynn Miskell a Software Development
Manager of NetApp spoke of the importance of not comparing oneself to other
women or men.
You have something to offer, and it has
not been done yet unless you have done it,
Miskell said.
It may seem sexist, but all the women
interviewed talked about confidence being
a womans issue. They spoke about how you
must not compare yourself to others.
You must convince yourself, if you do
it enough eventually you will believe it,
Spradling says.

Todd Stagner

104 S. Vine Street

Maryville, MO
660-582-8142

TStagner@ShelterInsurance.com
ShelterInsurance.com

1406 East First - Maryville, Mo

660-582-5861
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