• Rosie Armstrong, Software Engineering Manager at Airtime Rewards


• 13.03.2024 10:30 am
#data #coding

In a world where technology and data feel like a male-dominated industry, it’s important to shine a light on the women who forge their own paths in a career in technology. Rosie Armstrong, a front-end engineer at Airtime Rewards, shares her journey and dispels the myth that coding is exclusively for the mathsy men of the world, and the role women in the industry can play in empowering other women to join the industry, and ultimately close the gender gap.

There is a major skills gap within the tech sector. Only a quarter (26%) of the tech workforce are women, and it’s projected that there will be only one qualified woman for every 115 tech roles by 20251. On top of this, studies suggest that women are less likely to work in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) than men- and when you combine all these factors together, it does not paint a fruitful, diverse landscape for the future of the industry. And it’s no wonder that young women do not feel inspired or motivated to pursue a career in these industries.

Maths and numbers

Let’s start by debunking the biggest myth of the data industry: “You must be numerical and mathematical to code”. This is not the case, and it’s important that this narrative is put to bed. Programming is a diverse field, and some fields within it might include more number-crunching to invent more complex algorithms, but this is not necessary for every role within tech and data engineering.

Learning coding is really like learning a language and once you’ve got the hang of it, writing code becomes streamlined. You can see it like a game - you learn how to do it, apply it to build up to new levels, and then learn skills along the way. Over time, you can start to make your own path in developing new programming languages, new ideas, and problem-solving.

Aside from writing code, the role also requires teamwork where you can develop a number of worthwhile, applicable, and personable skills, which are important in any workplace and environment.

Mentorship

In this environment, having a female mentor or leader can be crucial in recruiting other women into the industry and creating a support network. In a generally male-dominated environment, it is important for women to share their experiences of being a minority within a large, growing, and fundamentally important industry. Women empower women, and the knock-on effect of this within the workplace can be incredible.

I hope, by sharing my story, I might be able to move that needle forward in creating a more diverse and open-minded workplace. filled with intelligent, wonderful women, all of whom can empower and be empowered.