In a few days, Techgirlz will be launching an exciting campaign exploring future careers in technology. The campaign will feature video interviews with corporate CEOs, marketing and financial executives and more. Tracey Welson-Rossman, founder of TechGirlz, answered some questions on how this idea came about and why the campaign is important.
Q&A with Tracey Welson-Rossman
- How did you come up with the “My Future Employee” idea?
There has been such a focus on coding as the only entrance into the tech world, we wanted to shine light on the many other ways to use tech in all types of careers that is not about code.Examples include the use of:
- Software programs to design cars, fabric and all sorts of things we use everyday
- Tech equipment in surgery or manufacturing
- Hardware as part of the Internet of Things or setting up routers that connect devices
- Social media and analytics in marketing
We could go on and on. In fact, The Philadelphia Inquirer recently spotlighted a local example — a corporation’s role in the wearable-technology market — that should have everyone excited about the growing technology careers market. The point is not everyone wants to code — and they don’t have to.
- What are you hoping to accomplish with this campaign?
We want to expand the awareness of and conversation about the scope of potential career opportunities for those who don’t know what is available. Along the way, I hope to bring more attention to TechGirlz methodologies and to spark our girls’ imaginations about what careers are possible using tech. - Why was it important to you to have this campaign come from TechGirlz?
Girls’ exposure to tech is limited due to their preconceived notions of what tech careers are like. Focusing on coding alone continues us down this path. TechGirlz is one of the few voices in the field who talks about careers outside of coding and software development – so we aim to add more voices to our effort by sharing our conversations with experienced business leaders.
Additionally, we’d love for more businesses and individuals to get involved in our mission—to get and keep girls interested and excited about pursuing technology-related careers.