Interesting discussion going on around whether girls need to learn how to code following an article Francine wrote recently. Read it here: https://medium/@hardaway/why-women-shouldnt-code-82205165e64a I am copying my comment from another post here as I would love to know your thoughts and frankly, that other string was going downhill fast and that is not something I wish to be part of. Important to note, I like Francine and consider her a friend. She is actually much more immersed in tech than I am and I absolutely love that. With that said, her article has hit a hot button for many and some of the response has not been pleasant. This is an important discussion, and one I would like to see continue without needing to call people names or tear others down to make your point. So, if you feel passionately one way or the other and can articulate a comment without disparaging someone else, feel free to post in the comments below. ----- MY ORIGINAL RESPONSE TO HER ARTICLE ---- While I dont agree with everything in Francines article, I understand the general message she was trying to convey. I have been in the tech industry for 20+ years and I dont know how to code. Sure, I can do light HTML to bold words in my blog posts or make a bulleted list, but could I actually build a website from scratch? No way. And I dont need to, nor care to. I can hire someone else to do it and focus on the things I like to do, and more importantly, am really good at (Marketing, Sales, Internal Systems and Processes, etc). What she was trying to say was to encourage women to pursue their interests, but dont force them to learn to code if that is not where their passion lies. What I do requires logic. It requires math. It requires me working with engineers and product managers daily. Would I be more effective in my role if I knew Java or PHP? Maybe. Maybe, not. What is most important is that I can articulate what I want and then work closely with the engineers so they can build it. And if what they build doesnt meet my design spec, that I be able to tell them why. So, do all women need to learn how to code? No. It is important to give women/girls opportunities to learn and see what sparks an interest. It is important to understand technology and how it impacts our daily lives. It is important to nurture their critical thinking. Women (and men) will carve the path that is best suited for them. I did.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 02:07:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015