Learning Opportunities for Women in Tech
By: Kristen, Upstate Interactive
Tags: Technology, Upstate New York, Women In Tech, Women Owned Business, Startup

Coding is becoming an essential skill in the American workforce. Despite nearly 75% of young girls expressing interest in STEM and computer science fields, female graduates only account for 28% of computer science degrees. The reality is that there is a major gender gap in tech. Luckily, more and more people are recognizing this issue and offering more accessible opportunities for girls and women of all ages to receive tech education.

From coding bootcamps to more casual meetups, there are plenty of learning opportunities specifically for women in tech to gain new skills and become the talent tech companies want to attract. Here are a few to check out if you’re interested in developing a new skill (or to support if you’re already skilled!).

Ada Developers Academy

For those located on the west coast, Ada Developers Academy is a software-development training program located in Seattle aimed at women and gender diverse people. It is a full-time, in-person learning opportunity that offers six months of education as well as five subsequent months of a paid industry internship. The program is tuition-free as well, allowing underrepresented talent better access to successful careers in technology. You can apply to the program here.

Careers in Code

On the east coast, we have Careers in Code, which is a coding bootcamp offered by Hack Upstate (UI co-founder Doug Crescenzi’s side project that hosts biannual hackathons). The coding bootcamp is a 24-week intensive offered to women and minorities in central New York’s distressed communities. Tuition and materials are completely free thanks to a grant supplied to the organization, so students who don’t typically have access to this type of education are able to access resources that give them a more equal chance at job opportunities in tech. Applications to the program are open here.

DApp Ladies

Back to the west in Los Angeles, DApp Ladies is a Meetup founded by partner Kseniya Lifanova. DApp Ladies started as a workshop style meetup for female developers who are interested in learning how to build decentralized applications and other blockchain projects. Starting in March, the group will host monthly instructional classes rather then workshops. The first class will be an Intro to Solidity that gives an overview of blockchain technology and then goes over the basics of Solidity, the language created by Ethereum to write smart contract programs that exist on the Ethereum blockchain. Solidity experience is not required. Location and time will be coming soon. Join the Meetup for updates.

STEM for Her

For those located in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., STEM for Her offers programs for that 75% of young girls who want to learn more about these fields. They offer field trips, speakers, programs, clubs, after-school groups and more. Some notable programs include CyberPatriots, a national high school cyber defense competition meant to inspire girls to pursue careers in cybersecurity, and its GIT (Girls in Technology) Mentor-Protégé Program, helping girls in 6th through 12th grade prepare for STEM careers.

Women in Coding

This organization was founded by Upstate Interactive co-founders Zoe Koulouris and Kseniya Lifanova, with help in leadership from Christy Presler and Annalena Davis. Their goal is to offer free educational resources in coding and design at their monthly workshops in Syracuse. At each workshop, one to three mentors make themselves available to offer support to participants and answer questions. No experience is required, the mentors will help get you started. Make sure to sign up for their newsletter to learn in advance what each meetup will focus on every month.