IT career women - WITI conference

Author

WITI conference

Nicole

2001-06-18, 12:37 pm

Is anyone (besides me) going to the WITI conference in Santa Clara this week? It would be nice to meet some of the ladies here face to face.

Paisleyskye

2001-06-19, 12:34 pm

WOW! I wish I could have gone Nicole, but I didn't know about it until I read your post, and its a little late now.

You have a great time!!!

Nicole

2001-06-19, 1:09 pm

It would have been great to meet you, but they're having one up your way Oct 24 and 25th in Boston, MA.

Of course, it doesn't start until tomorrow morning if you have an expense account that can cover those outrageous last minute airfares!

Paisleyskye

2001-06-20, 2:16 pm

Hi Nicole,

It's not the money that's keeping me from going, its the fact that I have four children, and its kind of difficult to make arrangements for them on such short notice.

I'll try to make it to the other one in October. Be sure to tell us all about it when you get back.

Nicole

2001-06-22, 9:49 am

Well, I'm back from the WITI Summit feeling recharged and inspired. I spent most of the conference working, but I did get to attend a couple of sessions. Although the sessions were informative, it was far more energizing just to be in the same room with women CEOs, CTOs, CIOs, and Fellows who have not only jumped over the hurdles, but are actively involved in trying to help other women jump those hurdles. The only depressing part of the Summit was to hear a panel of CIOs and CTOs agree that the Glass Ceiling isn't getting any better -- more women are working in technology than ever, but they aren't making it to the executive levels any more than they did 20 years ago. Perhaps they were biased, but they also agreed that the companies that developed diversity in their workforce at all levels were the ones most likely to succeed in an increasingly connected world, because they had a greater pool of ideas and attitudes to draw from, which more accurately reflected their customer base.

Of course, not everyone there was an executive or even employed. The career fair was great: it was small, but every company there was a quality company. Unlike most job fairs, the emphasis wasn't on new college grads, but on mid-level positions. It should come as no surprise that engineers (especially BSEEs) are in high demand just about everywhere, but IT workers aren't in demand. The companies looking for IT workers were looking for something more than technical skill. "People skills," whether in sales or marketing or business savvy, were a crucial element of the package to elevate you above the crowd and put you in demand. Of course, this is in the heart of the Silicon Valley, where jobless IT workers are a dime a dozen right now, so it may be different in your area. The recruiters there were mostly looking for the SV area, but there were also nationwide and worldwide positions. I was able to get some great advice from local recruiters about the existing market (even though they weren't looking for my skill set), have a professional critique my resume, and a couple of companies that I thought would *never* be interested in me surprised me: my odd work history has suddenly become an asset in a world where agility and flexibility are the most sought after skills.

And of course, network, network, network. It's much easier to meet people when someone else is determined to talk to you and find out what you do

If you get a chance to attend the WITI Summit in Boston in October, I highly recommend it. I'm exhausted from the long drives, late nights and early mornings, but I feel more energetic and positive than I have in a long time.

Randy

2001-06-22, 9:52 am

You can have all of those executive positions. I am happier as a techie. Human networking has never been a strong point with me, that's always been one of my probs. Anyway, glad you had a nice thyme.

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