For years we’ve been told that coding is the must have skill of the future.
And while our futures seem so far away when we pick out majors (social studies, anyone?) it’s becoming clear that choosing a computer related field is going to have the most staying power when the job hunt begins. (Or begins again.)
With start-ups and young tech companies flourishing in Canada and around the world, there’s never been a better time to update your skill-set.
But although many of the next generation of children have been inspired to pursue careers in science and technology, the digital landscape remains a male-dominated affair.
With statistics showing that women hold just 26% of the approximately four million computing related occupations in the US (stats are not readily available in Canada but likely follow suit), it’s clear that not all females have been driven towards the industry just yet.
But tech needn’t be a boys’ club.
Once thought of as an occupation only computer nerds could handle, it’s fast becoming a creative outlet for all individuals. Girls are just as digitally engaged as guys and a career in the industry can be fun, social, and interactive.
Luckily for us ladies, it’s never too late to get motivated.
Esther Lee, who recently enrolled in a Digital Marketing course at Brainstation, believes there has never been a better time to get into the field.
“I believe it’s important (more than ever) to understand the true meaning of having social presence and how powerful it can be to help with building a brand/fulfilling one’s dreams. It’s a different generation and we need to know how to take advantage of this opportunity while it’s still growing.”
Despite coming from a background in banking, and having no prior experience in the world of digital marketing, Esther’s personal use of social media accounts led to a curiosity about the analytics and stats behind it all.
“For myself personally, I always loved snapping a photo. That turned into styling photos and posting onto Instagram and now into a blog. I get curious on who might be liking my photo, what kind of person they are, and why and how they landed on my page/account. I believe this is where Brainstation’s course would help me to understand this world of analytics and statistics to better understand and grow my audience.”
Tired of asking her colleagues for help, Hanna Kim, a marketing manager at Toronto based start-up, Vanhawks, decided to learn some new skills.
“I felt bad constantly having to badger the web development team about making the smallest changes. I finally asked the team how realistic it would be for me to learn the basics and have the ability to make these changes on my own, and to my happy surprise, they let me know that most of the aesthetic, front-end changes wouldn’t be difficult to pick up once I learned the basics.”
And with technology everywhere today, Hanna believes that there’s no limit to how creatively web development can impact us.
“Whether it’s one’s personal website or blog, or even a brand’s online store, the way a webpage is designed/presented makes a huge impact on the way information is consumed, or understood. With code, you’re able to creatively build an online experience for users to browse through your page, guiding them through the journey that you actually want them to take. Web development hugely impacts creatives – it’s the new book cover that everyone judges.”
Game on, ladies.