Code Like a Girl launched in Adelaide on the 8th of February 2018 and I was fortunate enough to attend the inaugural event. Code Like a Girl is an organisation that I came across when searching for tech and programming groups, something similar to the Australian Sewing Guild that I joined many years ago to support my sewing interests. Their mission is to encourage more girls to coding, which is currently a male dominated industry.
The launch was held at the WOTSO co-working space in the heart of Adelaide, with around 200 people attending, with many more on a waiting list. They weren’t all girls either, there were a few guys too which was great to see. Of those in attendance about half of them were in the tech industry.
The co-founders of Code Like a Girl, Ally Watson and Vanessa Doake first gave an introduction to why they started Code Like a Girl and an overview of the events and workshops they hold to encourage more coders. Then it was over to three inspiring speakers from different backgrounds to share their journey in the tech industry.
The first speaker was Karin Geraghty who came from a design background to be the Chief ICT and Digital Strategist in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet in South Australia. Karin shared how important it is to have the right mindset, and recommended everyone read the book Mindset by Carol Dweck. Her mindset is that when someone tells you something can’t be done, take this as a challenge. She emphasized that those in tech should focus on the user and not worry about the technology behind it. The user needs to have the best experience possible so keep them at the top of your mind.
The second speaker was Michelle Perugini, a research scientist turned entrepreneur and co-founder of Life Whisperer, an organisation that uses AI and computer vision to determine the best embryos to use during the IVF process. Michelle said that she was lucky to find the projects and people to make her a success but it’s clear that she has her eyes wide open for new opportunities and makes the most of networking, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.
Michelle shared how she combines running a business and raising a family, something that a lot of females in the workforce in general struggle with. But she has the mentality that both are important and if that means working while the kids are in bed then that works for her. With her passion to encourage more female entrepreneurs her experience and mentor ship that she shares is invaluable.
The final speaker was Paula Feleggakis, an engineer that switched to Software Development when the stresses of being an engineer were no longer worth it. Paula talked about the mentors that had a big impact on her throughout her life. The primary school teacher who showed her to code using Logo, opening her eyes to what was possible. The high school teacher who believed that she could be a success in her university studies as an engineer. And her first manager in the workforce who said that there was no such thing as a dumb question and she should ask him 20 dumb questions every day. And she did.
Paula shared her loss of identity when she gave up engineering to raise a family, and when asked by others what she did she wasn’t quite sure what to say, settling on “A mum and an engineer”. And how the interview question about what you want to do in 5 years is so silly as life evolves in unpredictable ways.
It was a great night of inspiring speakers that were so open and willing to share their stories they were truly uplifting. If this is how Code Like a Girl will be run, I’m in!
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