A woman developer's survival guide

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Often I notice and hear that women developers find it hard to cope with the norms of IT which eventually leads to them switching to a non-STEM career. Clearly, a large number of women demonstrate inclination towards STEM fields during high school and college, but when it comes to pursuing a career the number reduces exponentially.
In spite of the plethora of programs and initiatives which strive towards sustaining women in IT, most of them fail in achieving their goals. Considering the fact that IT is one of the largest employers in the world, it is rather baffling to comprehend the reasons behind such extreme under representation of women in the field.
It is completely understandable that studies show women are inclined towards people and art which make fields like arts, linguistic, literature, Human Resources or Public relations a natural selection. Unsurprisingly, this does not justify the point as to why young women who chose Science and Mathematics in their high schools give up on their interests all of a sudden.
According to studies made by World Economics Forum India ranks 52 in gender parity w.r.t per capita income, with Sweden and mostly western countries leading the charts. See here. Economic times reported, India’s GDP can expand by a whopping 27 per cent if the number of female workers increases to the same level as that of men, according to International Monetary Fund’s chief Christiane Lagarde. Modern women resorting to household giving up their careers for family or other unforeseeable reasons besides having valuable degrees to their advantage is miserably unfortunate.
Wikipedia lists a good amount of reasons which buttresses dropping out of women from STEM in the article here. As painful as the article seems, one cannot deny the factual information presented.
Therefore, I thought of compiling a few points that I think might be crucial in growing oneself and sustaining as a woman developer.

1. Let the confidence flow:

It became pretty evident from day one, of all those interviews I conducted that women developers were low on confidence and were victims of self-doubt. Among all the candidates I have interviewed I noticed that men were more likely to establish their likes and dislikes and ask for a pay that they thought suitable or above the so called -”market standards” set by the company than a female developer. The language with which women spoke also displayed their poor confidence even though their answers were correct. I also noticed that some men answered wrongly with impeccable confidence. So, ladies when you face an interview or somebody asks you a question you that is your area of expertise I’d suggest you to answer as confidently as possible. If you do not know the answer just accept it. Being brutally honest makes you come across as an ethical person who an employer would like to have. As much as you want the job they want you too. Make your terms and conditions clear. Take what is yours.

2. Rising above discrimination:

In a work environment which is dominated by men, especially in a country like India, you will find colleagues, friends and family always trying to pull you down by doubting your capabilities in the area. Negative thoughts are obvious to cloud your judgement. A woman programmer would have to prove her worth in every walk of her career in order to disprove the negative stereotype. It probably is a common phenomenon to see a colleague get a raise, promotion, onsite or an unusual opportunity over you little because of your performance or capabilities which forces you to rethink your stance. At moments like that, all you should know is that you will find your place. You want to be recognised by the code you write and that cannot be taken away from you. Every day, teach yourself something and make yourself worthy. The world is wide and someone someday will identify your work and reward you for your contribution. Also making it happen is solely in your hands.

3. Learn to learn and unlearn:

When you are in one of STEM fields, it is an established fact that learning never ends. If you have signed up for it then most definitely you are prepared for the never ending journey of learning. Keep yourself updated with the whereabouts of technology with the fast growing fields that concern you. This will not only make you shine in a meeting or a conference you attend but also creates a persona people can never forget. A boost in confidence is always positive for your well-being.
Unlearning is also a part and parcel of a programmer’s life. A technology which was “the” thing yesterday might have been taken over by something better. Choose wisely. When your job fails to fulfil your learning goals you know it's time to move on. 

4. A healthy diet and exercise:

Many of us get so lost in the daily chores that we forget to eat healthy. You may retort- I’m lucky that I even eat. As silly as it sounds, it is easy to forget that breakfast trying to reach early to work, a healthy diet with exercise is a far cry. Deficiency of many nutrients and being exposed to continuous stress might cause quite a few issues in women like hormonal imbalances, PCOD, irregular periods, stress or tension headaches, spondylitis, depression, issues with eye sight, etc. in the long run. The only way to combat such problems is to eat healthy and get your regular dose of exercise.
I cannot stress the importance of exercise more as I myself have resorted to meditation yoga and pranayama to cope through stress. A good half an hour run can prove immensely beneficial in many ways. If you decide to continue being a developer it is important that you have a strict regime with balanced diet and workout. Compulsorily stick to eight to nine working hours and you’ll thank me.

5. Ignore the noise:

We live in a society surrounded by opinionated people. Whether you follow the same ideology or believe differently you should be able to be accepting of the commons and the differences successfully. Being open to ideas and opinions is a good thing but thinking on your own is utmost important. Validate and absorb the good and reject the noise. A critical part of a developer’s life is to embark on your beliefs and have a stance in what you believe. There is nothing right or wrong. Try to follow the standards and modify rules if necessary to fit your needs.

6. Success is a myth:

As human beings we set goals and strive hard to achieve them. The real question is- “Goal reached, what now?” We set a new goal. The process continues..
Be it picking up a hobby, continuing studies, learning a new sport or travel plans. Success cannot be defined by the state of accomplishment. Great if you succeed in your chores but it is also not important that you do. As the definition itself states- “Success is the good or bad outcome of an undertaking”.
So dump all your undertakings on that resume, even though if it was a failure because the outcomes don't matter.
Do your job and let karma take its course. 

Android Developer, Tech Enthusiast, Startup Aficionado, Seeker of Happiness.