Tech jobs are becoming more popular with business students of both sexes. However, jobs in IT and other tech careers have long been male dominated. This is beginning to change, though, with several campaigns across the US and UK to recruit more women into tech careers gaining momentum in recent years.
This is positive, as such jobs can have a lot to offer women in business. Here are just some of the ways a woman can benefit from pursuing a tech career.
Avoid macho Wall Street mentality
The testosterone-fueled environment of Wall Street and other financial services hubs, portrayed in the likes of The Wolf of Wall Street and John LeFevre’s Straight to Hell, can be an turn-off for women in business.
Matthew Bidwell, a professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, has studied gender in finance and careers. He reflects that a woman who applies for a banking job is just as likely to get it as a man. However, he also believes that women are put off applying for banking jobs in the first instance, saying; “Women are less likely to apply because they see that ‘there’s nobody like me’ at the senior levels.”
Silicon Valley, with its multitude of jobs in IT, has a much more favorable reputation. Although tech jobs are dominated by men, the macho culture that perpetually sticks to Wall Street jobs does exist to the same extent in northern California. San Francisco, the largest city in the area, is famed for its diverse and accepting society and is regarded to be the most liberal city in America.
Famous Wall Street men such as Jordan Belfort, who was immortalized in the blockbuster The Wolf of Wall Street, are not idolized in the same way in the tech world. In comparison, think about Mark Zuckerberg’s geeky portrayal in the Hollywood blockbuster, The Social Network; hardly an intimidating figure for women in business.
Get closer to your dream programme
Your consent preferences have been set.
Time to start exploring.
Your account has been removed.
You can still browse the site or sign up again once you have parental consent.
Get closer to your dream programme