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According to a study by PWC with 2,000 students, 'females aren’t considering technology careers as they aren’t given enough information on what working in the sector involves, and also because no one is putting it forward as an option to them.' We want to change this - so we spoke with one woman in tech to find out what her career actually looks like.
Louise Doherty is the CEO and founder of PlanSnap, a social planning app that helps friends plan get-togethers without the hassle of endless group chat notifications. She's in the heart of the tech industry, but her day-to-day duties might not be what you expect from a tech entrepreneur.
While yes, there are very technical jobs (like coding, web developers and analytics experts) available, Louise is proof that tech careers can also be out-of-the-box. Her current hands-on job is both 'creative and commercial', and allows her to get involved in numerous aspects of her business, from design to pitching to attending events.
'Being CEO of an early stage tech company means that I get involved in almost everything the company does. No two days are the same when running a tech startup: one day I’ll be pitching to potential investors, and the next day I'm in a meeting about how we’re going to design and build a new feature.'
And her working environment is far from corporate and dull: 'I work from home, from the office, from abroad, or from anywhere in our building. Our office has plants and fresh flowers, essential oil air fresheners and tons of colourful post it notes and things that inspire us on the walls.' It seems that inspiration and creativity are important parts of Louise's tech career.
She tell us that 'you can be "in tech" without being technical. It’s a common misconception that you need to be able to code to work in tech.' In fact, Louise didn't work directly in the tech industry before launching her start-up. 'I was a strategic marketing consultant for the BBC, ASOS and YO! Sushi." For a non-traditional tech career like hers, Louise tells us the only skills you need are "curiosity and passion, to keep up with the pace of change.' And we totally agree.
'Being in tech no longer means working in IT, or being in a big corporate company. The tools to launch companies or projects using technology have never been cheaper or more accessible than they are now, so anyone can take an idea that uses tech and start to test it.'
In terms of tech careers available, Louise tells us 'there's a ton of early stage tech companies you could join, or even start your own. Big tech companies might support you with more structure, learning and development, but it’s not the only way to get ahead in the tech industry.'
So, you don't need to toss your creativity in the bin, or limit yourself to technical jobs like coding in order to bag yourself a career in the tech industry. It appears that being a woman in tech is instead about multi-tasking, thinking outside-of-the-box, and being business savvy. And if you're having no luck finding a career in tech, take Louise's advice and 'start your own'.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.