|
 I am e-Learning Co-ordinator for the Connexions youth support service in Nottinghamshire. I have an Honours Degree in History and a Masters Degree in Library and Information Studies.
My professional career includes working for commercial, academic, school and specialised library and information services, mostly in a managerial or supervisory role. ICT was a core part of all of these jobs, whether building or interrogating databases, researching on the Internet, or using and training others on software packages.
Employability skills such as communication, problem solving, team working and being self-motivated are as important as technical skills. Apart from my professional qualification, I got into this job through my previous experience and my ability to demonstrate transferable skills. It is important to evidence your skills whether you have acquired them through paid or voluntary work and to be able to talk about them to prospective employers and demonstrate how they can be applied in the role you are applying for. My job is a people job so understanding the needs of the different client groups is key. Only then can I offer support and training to enable them to get the most out of our applications and websites. I had a genuine interest in working and helping young people including supporting them as a voluntary youth worker and not being afraid to stand up in front of 250 teenagers and keep them engaged for 30 minutes is an asset!
My ICT skills are largely self-taught and reflect my interest in the use of technology to enhance and support people’s learning and personal and professional development. I get labelled at work as ‘Gadget Girl’ but I’m proud of it!
What I like about IT
I like the scope of this job: it’s not ‘techie’ as such, but requires me to understand how it all fits together. I like to research what is out there and what is being developed and bring it back to evaluate how useful it could be to support young people’s progression. I love the end-to end nature of our development role: from initial idea to designing and creating the software or website (we commission outside developers but control every step); to the testing and piloting and finally, marketing, promotion and user education. I love the buzz and creativity of all that. I work in a small team of three but we collaborate with other teams and partners on all our projects.
This role was a natural progression for me but quite a leap in the dark as it is not obviously ‘Information Management’
My career highs
Supporting practitioners to get over their fear of technology and helping them understand that electronic resources can help them do their job more effectively. Using ICT is still such a barrier to people and puts them way out of their comfort zones. Having colleagues tell me my e-Learning/ Web 2.0 exploration day was ‘Awesome!’ makes me feel good.
I have never had a straight career path and I do what interests me. I will probably to go into some form of paid consultancy on a larger scale to what I am doing now for the company. I would also like to work collaboratively with one of the universities to look at practical uses of hand-held technology for skills gathering and evidencing (also part of what I’m doing now too) and maybe end up with another Masters or even a Doctorate.
My tips for success
follow your interests and enthusiasms in your work... it’s what gets you out of bed on a dark and wet morning! Be prepared to volunteer and take on new challenges, work to make the world a better place in whatever you do, even in small ways.
I won’t suggest any particular book or website can help you but I would say network like hell…find one that you like that can support you professionally, join the professional organisations like BCS - get involved in their local activities … Follow Blogs of inspirational women in ICT. Contribute to the debates yourself, find a mentor and become one..inspire and be inspired.. it all rubs off…
If you want my words of wisdom I would say don’t get tunnel vision about what IT is. I would say that it should always be ICT: communication is the key. The best thing I liked about setting up and running a Computer Club for Girls in a school was that it demonstrated that ICT is in so many things you can do: the limit is your imagination.
My educational and home background limited what was out there for me initially: I wanted to be a fashion designer when I was young: my parents wanted me to leave school and get a job. In the end, I had to wait until I was self-financing to get a higher education and be realistic about what would provide me with a living. I toyed with becoming a teacher for many years, but I get the best of all worlds with this job.
Do you think it might have been a different story, of "how you got to where you are now", if you'd been a man?
My answer to that is No! The choices I made were my own. They were often compromises because I wanted an education, to work and to have a home and family but they were my choices in the end.
Out of work, I enjoy eating out with friends, going to gigs, watching films, walking, reading and playing my bass guitar. I probably spend way too much time on my laptop communicating with friends on e-mail, Facebook, MSN or wandering about Second Life.
Do you think that there are obvious differences between what men and women have to offer an IT department?
I think it is important to make the most of each individual’s potential. We employ the staff most suited to the job. It is a pity that we do not get enough female applicants and that reflects the number in the industry itself. We are not a large enough company to ‘grow’ our own’ so rely on who is out there. There are predominantly females in the information teams and we direct the information part of the ICT provision.. The IT department is mostly male: they do have a very good customer focus though and are a great bunch!
Are you aware of any preconceptions or stereotypes of women in IT, and if so what do you think of them?
From talking to female professionals I gather that the boy’s club atmosphere of corporate IT departments is a difficult one to work in. I would say that is down to management and leadership. Change needs to come from the top and equal opportunities and work-life balance policies need to be managed all the way down at every level.
What do you think could be done to actively encourage more women to join the technology market place in general?
Stop making it look like rocket science.
Do you think enough is currently being done to counterbalance what has become an obvious lack of women in technology?
Not enough, but like the other science, technology, engineering and maths sectors, it needs to be made relevant to girls at a very early age. We need to stop putting IT in a ‘techie’ silo and need to demonstrate girls can have great opportunities using ICT, in lots of sectors.
If you could give young women looking for a position in the IT market place a single piece of advice what would it be?
Keep your options open. | 