How One Mom (And Her Cupcakes) Could Improve Diversity In Tech

When Chicago-based web engineer and developer Jen Myers was initial training to code, it was formidable to feel that she belonged in a male-dominated field.

Myers was frequently a sole lady in her mechanism scholarship classes, formulating a infrequently worried dynamic. And as she began her career, she had few purpose models of a identical credentials to whom she could turn.

More than a decade later, however, Myers not usually creates her vital during coding though is formulating new opportunities for other women — and their daughters — to get a ambience of a margin by her singular Code and Cupcakes

The initial Code and Cupcakes seminar in Oct was innate out of Myers’ knowledge training other women to formula by a organisation Girl Develop It

Code and Cupcakes was primarily envisioned as a one-off, low-key weekend eventuality for moms and daughters to learn beginner-level coding together in a understanding space for women. But a seminar — only $35 per mother-daughter span — was met with such unrestrained that all 40 spots a space could reason were fast booked. That response came as a large warn to Myers, who works full-time overseeing online training calm and runs her workshops on a side.

“The thought of training how to formula is apropos so most bigger than it ever was — it’s not an unusual thing anymore,” Myers told The Huffington Post. “People are meditative about how to make a websites we use each day, and we came during a right time to strike some of these things. we unequivocally do feel there are a lot of people meddlesome in doing these things who don’t know where to start.”

Due to a recognition of a initial workshop, Myers has report the subsequent Code and Cupcakes seminar for Jan. 24 during The Living Room

And Myers is set on creation certain her workshops sojourn permitted to as many people as possible. Though she asked a women to move their possess laptops, or organised for them to steal one from a proffer training assistants, she launched an Indiegogo debate to lift supports to buy laptops that can be used by participants.

As of Tuesday, the fundraising debate has exceeded a $4,500 goal

In a future, Myers skeleton to offer an modernized coding skills workshop, and also hopes to incorporate a yoga mangle into a event so participants can suffer a brief remit from shade time. She also wants to yield an event for a volunteers who assistance her learn to speak about their possess practice in a field.

“It’s about formulating a space privately for girls and women that takes divided some of a vigour to figure out, ‘What will they consider of me?’ or ‘Should we be seeking this?’” Myers explained. “I don’t wish anyone to feel like anything is out of their hands, that they can’t do this since it’s too formidable or too tough to understand.”

While she acknowledges that a tech attention still has a lot of work to do

“I wish them feel enclosed and that they belong, that we don’t have to naturally be a talent to learn how to module some things.”

Article source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/06/code-and-cupcakes-moms-daughters-coding-workshop_n_6419666.html?utm_hp_ref=chicago&ir=Chicago