Why More Girls Should Join Tech.

The gender gap in technology can only be bridged if more girls embrace technology today. 5 years ago, if anyone asked me if I was interested in joining tech or taking up any tech career, I would plainly say no. Why? Because I still believed that as a girl, I would not be so good in tech like the men are. But thanks to a friend (Yves Iraguha - a software developer at Andela Kigali) who introduced me to coding which helped me to gain more interest in Tech. However, there are more girls out there who still have imposter syndrome and need someone to encourage them that they can also make it in Tech.

Well, it is not only about joining tech but girls also need to go for those great positions in Tech. In order to achieve this, girls have to, first of all, do away with the imposter syndrome and the negative mindset of thinking that they cannot be so excellent in tech and believe that they can also, be as good as men in tech or even better than them.

Joining Tech and Developers Communities is the best and yet freeway for any girl to learn and uplift herself in tech. A popular African proverb says “If you want to fast, go alone. If you want to far, go together” and this clearly explains why any girl interested in Tech should join communities. In a community there are chances of learning more from other people and even always being motivated in whatever Tech project you are working on. These communities and some which am part of, include Women Tech Makers (WTM), Google Developers Groups (GDG), Andela Learning Community (ALC), For Loop, She Can Code, Facebook Developer Circles, and many others. They are perfect platforms for learning and attending their meetups is always a time of learning, networking, being inspired, as well as having fun.

Learning is a fundamental process for any girl/person with the ambition of being excellent at Tech. Personally, I have been learning to code from the online platform called Progate which gives free online courses for anyone who wants to learn different programming languages and I have been able to learn HTML, JavaScript and Python. Any person can teach him/herself different Tech skills through online platforms such as Progate and many others.

Finally, it is also important for any girl who wants to join tech to always keep alert for any opportunities and also put herself out to the market so as to be recruited by any company. It is beneficial to always share any learning progress and new skills attained in Tech on different social media platforms so that different people can get to know what you are doing which increases your chances of being hired. Many companies, organizations, Institutions and nations need more Women in Tech positions and that is why more girls and women should join Tech!

Me(on the right) and my friend at the Technology Incubation Program pitching our tech idea. These are one of the programs that can help girls develop their ideas and skills in Tech.