Changing the Story Launch
Five years ago, I attended Grace Hopper Celebration. For the first time in my life I was surrounded by thousands and thousands of women in tech. It was an amazing feeling. I was the only woman on my team at the time and I remember feeling strengthened just from walking into the keynote arena. I needed that strength.
I was one year into the tech industry and it had been a tough one. I had already been through two project cancellations and four managers. My team had more Matts than women and I was struggling to fit in.
The Fifty-Six Percent
At Grace Hopper that year, I learned the staggering statistic that 56% of women leave tech before the 10 year mark. This attrition is higher in tech than in other STEM fields and more than double the rate of men. The biggest drop-off occurs in the first few years.
The studies show the women who leave are no different from the women who stay. They come from similar backgrounds with similar personal traits and experience. It doesn’t come down to motherhood, education, or enthusiasm for the field. Instead, the studies show the difference comes down to the workplace environment: managers and team culture.
The first time I heard that statistic I felt disheartened. I was pressing forward to succeed in the industry, only to learn it wasn’t entirely up to me. But over the years, I came to find it empowering to know workplace culture is the biggest driver of women staying in the industry. This means that by identifying characteristics of teams that help early career women thrive and equipping managers and teams to make those changes, we can improve retention. This realization is why I’ve dedicated so much time to mentoring and why I decided to become a manager.
My Five Year Goal
That year at Grace Hopper, I set a goal to stay in the industry for five years. In the bad moments I reminded myself that I needed to make it work and in the good moments, I celebrated that I was that much closer. Like everyone in the industry, I benefited from many formal and informal mentors, teammates, and managers over the years. Without my community, I would never have made it. But on many days, I still felt alone.
One year ago, I hit that goal. It was a big moment and a feeling I wish I could share with everyone struggling through their first few years.
Over the years I’ve had the privilege to get to know many early career women through meetups, college connections, and through my company. When I got to know many of these women and had the real conversations, I realized how much we had in common. I noticed that my struggles with manager changes or imposter syndrome or glue work were not unique to me, but somehow more universal. I realized that by sharing my stories, I could help someone. I realized that women sharing their stories could find community and connection.
Launching Changing the Story
Today I’m launching Changing the Story to help women thrive in their first five years in tech. We will provide resources and community through the power of stories. Whether you want to stay in the industry for five years or forty-five, I hope you find your joy, your team, and the culture where you can belong. Changing the Story will feature stories of women in tech: both the good moments and the hard moments. Together we will help you find the community and the team where you can thrive.
The tech industry is recruiting more entry-level women to the field than ever before, but traditional retention initiatives are not working. The sharpest decline of women leaving the field still comes in the first few years.