Women Coders Unite!
Tags: womenintech, career, firstyearincode, gratitude
Published: 2020-09-19 22:55:51

I came across this [awesome article](https://medium.com/better-programming/girls-are-not-made-to-code-3b8c2f986f74) on LinkedIn about how to be an empowered woman in tech. I found it so inspiring and really wanted to share as well as say a few of my own thoughts on the subject.

Diversity is so important, more now than ever, and women and anyone who identifies as a woman in the engineering community have had a long and difficult journey. I've heard and read horror stories about the way that women have and continue to be treated in this male dominated field.

I just wanted to share some things I've learned and come across in my job search as well as while talking to other women in the industry. I hope my experiences and advice could be helpful to some so that we can empower each other and help to create more diversity in the engineering field!

1. Everyone goes through feelings of imposter syndrome
   - This one was huge for me because honestly I have struggled with imposter syndrome since bootcamp
   - But I learned from talking with a lot of other engineers, women & men, that these feelings are totally normal! In our industry it's impossible to know everything and everyone feels like they never know enough. Just as long as you're trying your best and working hard, don't have any doubts in yourself. You're doing great :)

2. Don't be afraid to reach out to other women in the industry
   - When I began doing my initial reach outs for my job search I was able to have some nice coffee chats with many different women in the industry. It was such a breathe of fresh air! I felt like there was always an instant connection just brought about by our shared experiences.
   - It's so great to learn and hear from people who were once in your position and an amazing way to just grow your network because in the end we're all just here to help each other.

3. Find a mentor
   - This isn't a must have, but I was able to connect with another woman who agreed to be my mentor and it's just been an amazing experience. Being able to have someone in the industry to guide you in your path is priceless. I've gained so much amazing knowledge and received such helpful tips that I'd recommend this to anyone.
   - You can even go on LinkedIn and find a mentor there as they have a matching program. I didn't have the best experience using this but it was a start. I actually met my mentor through the WomenWhoCode slack channel, so make sure to join a bunch of slack channels and discord servers that match your interests. It's a great way to meet people!

4. Be proud of your journey
   - No matter where you are from or what you've experienced, being a minority is never easy and you should be proud of yourself for making it! I am excited for the future as so much progress is being made, but never forget how hard you've worked to come so far. You are amazing!

Thanks for reading this and I hope it could be helpful for anyone out there. If you have any tips for other women and anyone who identifies as a woman, please leave them below. We definitely always have to look out for each and keep our community strong!